본 논문은 반계 유형원과 성호 이익의 영향을 관계를 바탕으로 근기실학이 성립되는 문제를 살펴보는 데 주안점을 두었다. 반계 유형원은 서울에서 태어나 생애의 대부분을 비록 호남 부안에서 살았지만, 성호 이익를 비롯한 근기학파와 매우 인연이 깊은 인물이었다. 정치적으로 남인계였으며, 묘소 또한 부안이 아닌 경기도의 용인에 있고, 후손도 부안을 비롯하여 선영이 있는 경기도의 과천에 거주했다.
일찍이 위당 정인보가 조선후기 실학의 계보를 “반계가 일조(一祖)요, 성호가 二祖요, 다산이 三祖이다”라고 정리하면서 반계-성호-다산은 조선후기 실학 계보의 주축으로 인정되어왔다. 반계 유형원은 실학의 개창한 인물이고, 성호 이익은 실학을 체계화했으며, 다산 정약용은 실학을 집대성한 인물이라 할 수 있다. 이들 세 사람은 정치적으로 모두 남인 출신이었으며, 근기 지역과도 연고가 있는 인물이다. 때문에 조선후기 실학을 근기 남인 학인들을 중심으로 성립된 것으로 이해되어, 근기 남인 학인을 중심으로 성립한 근기실학이 조선후기 실학을 대표하기도 하였다.
근기실학은 근기 지역을 중심으로 성호학파가 주축을 이뤄 성립된 새로운 학문경향이다. 성호학파를 개창한 성호 이익은 퇴계학을 계승한 성리학자이지만, 미수(眉叟) 허목(許穆)과 반계 유형원으로부터도 영향을 받아 새로운 학문체계를 이루었다. 허목이 퇴계 이황과 한강(寒岡) 정구(鄭逑)의 학문을 이어 근기지역 학술의 발판을 개척했다면, 허목의 영향을 받아 실학이라는 학문의 토대를 마련했던 학자는 반계 유형원이었다. 다시 말해 허목과 연결되어 있던 반계 유형원의 실학사상이 성호 이익을 통해 이어졌고, 그것이 다시 성호 제자들을 통해 경기도 일대에 퍼져 근기학파를 형성한 것이다. 따라서 근기실학과 반계 유형원은 조선후기 실학의 성립사를 살펴보는데 배우 중요한 키워드라고 본다.
Bangye Yoo Hyeong-Won was born in Seoul and lived in Buan, which was located in the Honam area. However, he was closely related to the practical school in the near-capital area including Seongho(星湖) Lee Ik(李瀷). He shared his political background with Nam-in, and he was not buried in Buan but Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. His descendants also lived in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, where the family burial ground was located as well as Buan. The tradition of the practical school of Joseon, which was established by Bangye and succeeded by Seongho and then Dasan (according to the description by Jeong In-Bo, was the tradition of the practical school of the near-capital area. It was not a direct teacher-pupil relation, but the scholastic mainstream of the practical study was formed through transmission of academic knowledge.
Seongho Lee Ik who established the Songho school called himself a successor of the Toegye school in his lifetime, but his theory of governance was most affected by Bangye Yoo Hyeong-Won. His family, whose family name was Yeoju Lee, shared the political background of Buk-in, and emerged as the key force of Nam-in during the generation of his father, Lee Ha-Jin, He shared the scholastic idea of Nam-in instead of Buk-in since his family emerged as the mainstream of Nam-in, but he also supported the practical ideas under the influence of the Hwadam school with the ideas of Buk-in, influenced by his father. He was interested in the real-world issues and developed the theory of governance, while succeeding the philosophy of Toegye, affected by his family tradition. He established the philosophy of Seongho, which provided the foundation for the practical study of the near-capital area, by adding the ideas of the practical study of Yoo Hyeong-Won, who was academically and personally very close to him.
Bangyesurok(磻溪隧錄) which summarized the theory of governance of Yoo Hyeong-Won was widely distributed by the practical scholars who were Nam-in in the near-capital area in the 18th century, and gained high recognition. Lee Ik recognized Bangye and Yulgok(栗谷) as the best administrators of Joseon, and wrote publications about Bangye, including Bangyesurokseo(磻溪隧錄序), Bangyeyooseonsaengyoojip(磻溪柳先生遺集) and Bangyeseonsaengjeon(磻溪先生傳). His representative publication about the theory of governance, Gwagurok(藿憂錄), succeeded the spirit of Bangyesurok. The theory of governance and utilitarianism of Bangye Yoo Hyeong-Won was inherited by Seongho Lee Ik and then the pupils of Seongho, including Ahn Jeong-Bok(安鼎福) and Jeong Yak-Yong(丁若鏞). Accordingly, the practical school of the near-capital area is considered to have fully succeeded the philosophy of Bangye.