“It is true that Europe was somewhat late in this regard. If my memory serves me right,” Yi Hyang muttered quietly to himself, tracing back his thoughts.
Among European scholars, the relationship between the state and its people began to be seriously discussed only when Enlightenment philosophy became dominant in the academic world.
Through the American War of Independence and the French Revolution, Enlightenment ideas became common sense in the West.
These thoughts later formed part of the basic worldview and understanding of humanity in the modern age, spreading through the 20th and 21st centuries.
Therefore, Yi Hyang naturally adopted this way of thinking and revealed it in his policy statements.
This mindset, in turn, also influenced King Sejong.
Blending with the traditional Confucian ideal of serving the people and the old values symbolized by “Broadly Benefiting Humanity,” the concept of “super law” was born.
To European intellectuals, still deeply rooted in the power of Christianity and syncretic local religions, this was a very progressive and innovative political philosophy.
“Imperial style… Are we becoming the America of the late 20th century?”
In the late 20th century, as America emerged victorious from the Second World War, half the world adopted American laws, institutions, culture, and values.