Ebook
Contemporary Japanese Philosophy: A Reader is an anthology of contemporary (post-war) Japanese philosophy showcasing a range of important philosophers and philosophical trends from 1945 to the present. This important and comprehensive volume introduces the reader to a variety of trends and schools of thought. The first part consists of selections and excerpts of writings from contemporary Japanese philosophers who have made original contributions to Japanese philosophy and promise contributions to world philosophy. Most of these selections appear in English for the first time. The second part consists of original essays written for this volume by scholars in Japanese philosophy on specific trends and tendencies of contemporary Japanese philosophy, such as feminist philosophy, the Kyoto School, and environmental philosophy, as well as future directions the field is likely to take. Ideal for classroom use, this is the ultimate resource for students and teachers of Japanese philosophy.
Introduction
Part I: Selected Primary Sources
1. Maruyama Masao: “Being” and “Doing” (1958)
2. Izutsu Toshihiko: Consciousness and Essence (1983)
3. Yuasa Yasuo: Toward an East-West Dialogue (1991)
4. Ueda Shizuteru: Horizon and the Other Side of the Horizon (1992)
5. Ōmori Shōzō: The Realism of “Form qua Emptiness” (1993)
6. Nakamura Yūjirō: Common Sense and Place (1979)
7. Kimura Bin: Time as the Between (1982)
8. Hiromatsu Wataru: Articulation Forms of the World of Fact-things (1982)
9. Sakabe Megumi: Appearance and Copula (1973)
10. Karatani Kōjin: Architecture and Being (1979)
Part II: Essays
11. The Post-War Development of the Kyoto School and its Significance by Fujita Masakatsu
12. Some Glimpses of Japanese Feminist Philosophy in Terms of Reproduction and Motherhood by Naka Mao
13. Trends and Prospects in Japanese Philosophy after 1945: The Contemporary Philosophy of Hiromatsu Wataru from Marxist Philosophy to the Theory of Facial Expression by Uehara Mayuko
Among the growing body of literature on Japanese philosophy, this anthology is an important addition which gives a voice to less-studied authors who deserve attention. John Krummel’s excellent translations make these authors intelligible for a wider audience. As this collection shows, Japanese philosophy is richer and more complex than Kyôto School philosophy.
This collection presents eloquent translations of essays by ten leading contemporary philosophers rarely considered together, and allows us to engage a broad range of recent philosophical activity in Japan. Its comprehensive introduction offers clear entry to the entire field as well as to each represented thinker, and three more essays survey feminist thought, the postwar Kyoto School, and other philosophical trends.
Japanese philosophy currently occupies an important place in world philosophy. This book introduces texts written in the second half of the 20th century, thus closing a very important gap in Western literature. Contemporary Japanese Philosophy is an essential source for understanding philosophical tendencies in the last 50 years in Japan.
Krummel has made available the translations of ten original thinkers and three leading scholars from the discipline of contemporary Japanese philosophy. His translation demonstrates tremendous judicious fairness to each original work such that readers should be able to feel the stylistic differences of the authors. This polyvocal book has laid a foundation for future research projects in relation to the works of these Japanese philosophers.
A leading scholar from a new generation specializing in the booming field of Japanese philosophy, John Krummel has assembled an outstanding collection of essays by contemporary philosophers. Although all are admired in Japan as among their country’s most seminal thinkers, until now many have been less known to the West because of the paucity of their writings in translation.
The volume is a valuable contribution to the expansion of dialogue on the ways in which contemporary East Asian reflection can provide a new impetus to reinvigorating theoretical discussions in academia and beyond.
John W.M. Krummel is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He is Assistant Editor of the Journal of Japanese Philosophy, Editor of Social Imaginaries and President of the International Association of Japanese Philosophy.