박세당은 1680년(숙종 6) 『대학』을 시작으로 10여 년에 걸쳐 『사서四書』와 『상서』 ‧『시경』을 자신만의 논리로 풀이했다. 이를 모아 간행한 『사변록』은 ‘신중히 생각하고 분명하게 변별한다’는 뜻으로 이름이 붙었다. 그러나 노론계 인사들은 『사변록』에 담긴 주자를 비판하는 태도와 독자적 해석을 문제 삼았다. 논란이 불거지자 1703년(숙종 29) 박세당을 한양 밖으로 추방하고 『사변록』은 불태우라는 명령이 내려지기도 했으나, 곧 거두어졌다.

Beginning in 1680 (the sixth year of King Sukjong’s reign) with the Great Learning, Bak Se-dang spent more than a decade presenting his own interpretation of the Four Books, the Book of Documents, and the Classic of Poetry, employing his own logic. The compilation of these writings, named Sabyeollok (Records of Thinking and Discerning), aimed to convey the idea of “thinking cautiously and discerning clearly.” However, those aligned with the Old Doctrine faction criticized his approach, which involved scrutinizing Zhu Xi and the independent interpretations found in the book. The controversy resulted in an order in 1703 (the 29th year of King Sukjong’s reign) to expel Bak Se-dang from Hanyang and burn the book, but the order was soon rescinded.