Im Yunjidang

Im Yunjidang
Native name 任允摯堂
Born 1721
Died 1793
Occupation Philosopher
Nationality Korean
Notable work Yunjidang Yugo

Im Yunjidang (任允摯堂; 1721-1793) was a Korean scholar, writer and neo-Confucian philosopher. She defended a woman's right to become a Confucian sage and argued that men and women did not differ in their human nature by interpretations of Confucianism values in moral self cultivation and human nature.

Im Yunjidang belonged to the yangban class and lived a life according to accepted convention. Due to the gender bias of the Confucian society, her work, Yunjidang Yugo, could not be published until after her death. She is counted as the first female Confucian philosopher in Korea, and one of the few female ones alongside Kang Chongildang. She was also one of few women to be published in Joseon-Korea, alongside the poet Seo Yeongsuhap (1753-1823), and Yi Bingheogak, who published the women's encyclopedia Guyhap chongseo about household tasks in 1809.

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