儒學是成德之教,通過充分發揮自己所有的道德實踐的力量,才可以完成道德人格,最後實踐到社會上為其窮極目的。所以朝鮮所進行的四端七情之辯,也就為了這個目的要建立理論根據而進行。退溪一生為了建立道德主體性而努力,栗谷則一生為了改革社會而努力。所以有的人視退溪的哲學為道德理想主義,視栗谷的哲學為革弊更張論。可是從歷史上看,栗谷學派的發展,一方面強調時宜變通,可是另一方面卻朝著名分義理論進行的。退溪的工夫論一方面帶著理想主義的色彩,可是另一方面卻推動了實學派的改革制度論。可知實踐還是在個人的選擇與決斷。由此看,四端七情論辯是當今還在進行中的課題。
Lee huang (李滉) and Qi da-cheng (奇大升) had argued the question in terms of two set of feelings: the purely good Four Beginnings (四端) and the sometimes good and sometimes evil Seven Feelings (七情) at early Choson (朝鮮) dynasty. And then 「The four-seven debate」 established a distinctive problematique that strongly oriented Korean Neo-Confucian thought towards exacting investigation of critical issues regarding the juncture of metaphysics and their all-important application in describing the inner life of the human heart-and-mind. Even though the debate sometimes had caused unessential doctrine, it is permanent question in search of human nature.