DOCSLIB.ORG

Intelligibility and the Philosophy of Nothingness

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Intelligibility and the Philosophy of Nothingness UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA LIBRARIES INTELLIGIBILITY AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF NOTHINGNESS KITARO NISHIDA Intelligibility and the Philosophy of Nothingness Three Philosophical Essays Translated with an Introduction by Robert Schinzinger East-West Center Press Honolulu 1958 in Japan by the Internationa! Philosophical Research Association of Japan First published in 1958 by Maruzen Co., Ltd. Second printing 1966 Printed and bound in Japan Distributed outside Japan by East-West Center Press, Honolulu .-^w^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/intelligibilitypOOnish ; The bottom of my soul has such depth Neither joy nor the waves of sorrow can reach it, PREFACE While the history of Japanese metaphysical speculation, based on peculiarly Asian religious experiences, goes to the eleventh century, Japanese philosophy as organized in accordance with Western concepts and assumptions is barely a century old. Ever since they came in contact with the culture and philosophy of the West, Japanese thinkers have considered it their task to search for a harmonious integration of two philosophical worlds; to re- formulate, in the categories of an alien Western philosophy, the philosophical insights of their own past. To have outlined one phase within this historical design is the achievement of Kitaro Nishida (1870-1945). Nishida has written extensively on philosophy and his complete works fill twelve volumes. The present work consists of trans- lations of three of his studies that all belong to a comparatively late phase in his development. Nishida has said of himself: "I have always been a miner of ore; I have never managed to icfine it." The absence of a last systematic refinement may indeed be felt by the reader of the present selection. Still, the reader may be impressed by the strangely new experience of life here encountered, whether his heart is moved or his mind is made to think. Nishida uses Western concepts to express his philosophical reflection. The reader may not always perceive this, however, since Nishida's basic experience, with Zen at its center, cannot properly be formulated in Western terms and needs the structure of a new philosophical theory. The approach to his thought is, therefore, not easy. Yet we are convinced that Nishida's philosophy can open a new way towards the mutual understanding of East and West. In the hope of contributing to this mutual comprehen- sion, upon which a new philosophy of mankind can be erected, we venture to offer the present publication to Western readers. July, 1958 The International Philosophical Research Association of Japan 3, Den-en-chofu 1, Ohta-ku, Tokyo CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 The Difficulties of Understanding 1 2 The Historical Background of Modern Japanese Philosophy 7 3 Nishida as The Representative Philosopher of Modern Japan 21 4 Being and Nothingness 29 Introduction to "The Intelligible World" 5 Art and Metaphysics 40 Introduction to "Goethe's Metaphysical Background" 6 Philosophy of History 49 Introduction to "The Unity of Opposites" I THE INTELLIGIBLE WORLD 69 II GOETHE'S METAPHYSICAL BACKGROUND 145 III THE UNITY OF OPPOSITES 163 GLOSSARY 243 INTRODUCTION by ROBERT SCHIXZINGER CHAPTER l The Difficulties of Understanding This may not be the first time that the voice of Japan has been heard in the philosophical discussions of the West; but we still lack translations of modern Japanese philosophy. In attempting such a task, one must not overlook the fundamental difficulties of understanding the thoughts of a people so completely different in cultural and intellectual background. A philosophy cannot be separated from its historical setting. Like any other statement, a philosophical statement is related to the speaker, the listener, and the matter under discussion. It cannot, therefore, be completely isolated and separated from the background of both the speaker and the listener, nor from the continuity of the development of philosophi- cal problems. And yet philosophical thought is not com- pletely bound by that historical background, but reaches beyond it into a sphere of objectivity. In this realm of objectivity, we find the cold necessity of truth which simply does not allow of arbitrary statements. Any state- ment is somehow related to being. On the one hand, 1. THE DIFFICULTIES OF UNDERSTANDING being is implied or involved in the subjective situation of speaker and listener; on the other hand, being is implied or involved in the discussed matter and its objec- tivity. Even if the standpoint of the speaker is very much different from that of the listener, the relationship to being should supply a common basis of discussion, and the relationship to being in the discussed matter should supply enough objectivity to compensate for the dis- crepancy in the national way of expression. After all, philosophy does not mean empty talk; philosophy is our intellectual struggle with problems whose particular struc- ture does not depend solely on ourselves. Problems may have different meanings for different people, they may concern one more than another, but rarely are they com- pletely imperceptible or inconceivable to others. Even in listening to a voice which speaks to us from the depth of a different culture and existence, we cannot exclude the possibility of understanding the meta-logical elements of that alien culture. It may seem unfamiliar to hear an oriental voice par- taking in our familiar western discussion, but we must not eliminate the possibility of such participation. And we must not make the mistake of wanting to hear such a voice merely as an echo of our own voice (i.e. as eclecticism). And we must not make the other mistake of wanting to hear it as a thoroughly strange and therefore incomprehensible sound. It is true, however, that it requires a sensitive ear to hear that strange voice, for there is primarily a great difference in the way of deliver- ing a speach. A good western speaker speaks loudly and . 1. THE DIFFICULTIES OF UNDERSTANDING clearly. A well educated Japanese speaks in a low voice. A western philosophical treatise must be outspoken, clear, and distinct, the analysis goes into every detail, and nothing should remain obscure. The Japanese loves the unspoken, he is content with giving subtle hints, just as in a Japanese black and white picture the white is some- times more eloquent than the black. In the West it is different, for in a book all that is essential, is written there. Of course Westerners, too, can read between the lines, but for the Japanese it is very often the essential thing which is not said or written, and he hesitates to say what can be imagined or should be imagined. To a certain degree, he permits the reader to think for him- self. The Westerner, on the other hand, wants to think for the reader. (This explains Schopenhauer's aversion to reading) Another factor which makes Japanese writing and thinking so different from that of the West, is the use of Chinese characters, supplemented by two Japanese syllabic alphabets. The Japanese, in thinking, envisages these symbols which contain a tradition of several thousands of years. Their sight brings to the mind in- numerable relations and nuances which may not be explicitly contained in the thought, but which form an emotional background. In the single symbolic character, something of the old magic of words is still alive. A translation can never reach the full significance which is represented to the Japanese mind by the sight of the Chinese character. In all European languages, the meaning of a word 1. THE DIFFICULTIES OF UNDERSTANDING is clearly defined only through its function in the phrase, and by the context. In the Japanese language, however, the word preserves its independent meaning with little regard to context and functional position. Japanese grammar is comparatively loose and without much logical structure and adhesive power. The single character dominates in its visual form and its original meaning, enriched by Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist, and even Oc- cidental philosophical tradition, while the grammatical texture seems comparatively insignificant. Japanese philosophy cannot be separated from the aesthetic evaluation of words. The Japanese reader sees the concept as an image. Therefore, characters written by a master are pictures, works of art, and are appre- !) ciated as such . Not only is the brush-work important, but also the character that has been chosen by the writer. A sequence of characters can have much meaning for the Japanese reader, whereas the translation seems to transmit no progression in thought. Except in a few cases of linguistic creations such as Fichte's "Tathand- lung" and Hegel's "Aufheben", we are not inclined to consider the choice of words a philosophical accom- plishment. But Nishida's philosophy is abundant in word-crea- tions and new character-compounds. Due to the nature of the Chinese characters, compounds are an enrichment of meaning, whereas in western languages an accumula- See the reproduction of Nishida's handwriting on the frontispiece. This shows a poem in the form of a scroll (kakemono). 1. THE DIFFICULTIES OF UNDERSTANDING tion of words tends to have the opposite effect. For this reason we translate the baroque-sounding title "Absolutely contradictory self-identity" ("Zettai mujun- teki jikodoitsu") simply as "Oneness of opposites". And such a difficult compound as "hyogen-saiyo-teki", literally "expression-activity-like", had to be translated sometimes as "expressive" and sometimes as "through the function of expression"; for us the word "expression" (Ausdruck) loses its original significance and depth through its com- bination with "activity". The aesthetic value of words lies, among other things, in the richness and variety of their possible meanings. The poet's word appeals to the free imagination and does not want to be restricted to one single, clearly defined meaning.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hagiwara Sakutarô, Buddhist Realism, and the Establishment of Japanese Modern Poetry
    HAGIWARA SAKUTARÔ, BUDDHIST REALISM, AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF JAPANESE MODERN POETRY Roberto Pinheiro Machado1 Resumo: Este artigo aborda a obra do poeta Hagiwara Sakutarô (1886-1942) a partir de uma perspectiva comparativa que engaja filosofia e literatura. A dimensão filosófica da poesia de Sakutarô é analisada por meio de uma leitura intertextual entre a obra do poeta japonês e a epistemologia budista presente nos textos em sânscrito dos filósofos Dignāga and Dharmakīrti (século V). Essa análise comparativa é efetuada sob a perspectiva da influência do naturalismo europeu no surgimento da poesia japonesa moderna. Demonstrando a possibilidade de um realismo budista que compartilha importantes características estéticas com o naturalismo, o artigo enfatiza a dimensão budista da poesia de Sakutarô, a qual se desvela apesar da rejeição ao budismo operada pelo próprio poeta como passo necessário para o estabelecimento da modernidade nas letras japonesas. Palavras-chave: Hagiwara Sakutarô, Poesia japonesa, Budismo, Modernidade, Filosofia Abstract: This article approaches the works of poet Hagiwara Sakutarô (1886-1942) from a comparative perspective that engages philosophy and literature. The philosophical dimension of Sakutarô’s poetry is analyzed by means of inter-textual readings that draw on the tradition of Buddhist epistemology and on the texts of logicians Dignāga and Dharmakīrti (5th century). The comparative analysis is considered under the perspective of the influence of Naturalism and the use of description in the emergence of Japanese modern poetry. Pointing to the possibility of a Buddhist realism that shares some common characteristics with Naturalism, the article emphasizes the Buddhist dimension of Sakutarô’s poetry, which appears in spite of the poet’s turn to Western philosophy (notably 1.
    [Show full text]
  • 2019-20 Annual Report
    PRINCETON UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT AND PROGRAM OF EAST ASIAN STUDIES Annual Report 2019-2020 1 COVER: The wooden doors to 202 Jones. Photo taken by Martin Kern. 2 Annual Report 2019-20 Contents Director’s Letter 4 Department and Program News 6 Language Programs 8 Undergraduates 11 Graduate Students 14 Faculty 18 Events 24 Summer Programs 26 Affiliated Programs 29 Libraries & Museum 34 3 Director’s Letter, 2019-20 In normal years, the Director’s Letter is a retrospective of the year in East Asian Studies—but where to begin? Annual disasters and upheavals are standard topics in traditional East Asian chronicles. By June of 2020 (a gengzi 庚子 year), we had already lived through more than our share: the coronavirus pandemic, severe economic downturn, government inaction and prevarication, Princeton’s shift to online teaching, dislocation of undergraduate and graduate life, shuttering of libraries and labs, disruption to travel, study, and research for students, staff, and faculty, the brutal murder of George Floyd, and the international renaissance of the Black Lives Matter movement. invigorate campus intellectual life, completing book This spring semester, the usual hum of summer manuscripts, or starting new projects. The heaviest burden, programming and plans for next academic year grew no doubt, fell on our language instructors. The faculty quiet, and many EAS projects were cancelled, postponed, in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean innovated non-stop to shifted online, or put on hold. As this Annual Report goes insure that, in the era of Zoom, students would remain fully to press, plans for undergraduate residence on campus engaged in all four language skills of speaking, listening, and the format for classes in fall of 2020 are still being reading, and writing.
    [Show full text]
  • 'What Is Japanese Philosophy'?
    Introduction: ‘What is Japanese Philosophy’? 459 Introduction: ‘What is Japanese Philosophy’? Raji C. Steineck and Elena Louisa Lange Remarks on the History of a Problem Until very recently, a first inquiry about ‘Japanese Philosophy’ could end up right in wonderland. Depending on which book or expert one turned to for general orientation, one would either learn that a) ‘Philosophy’ has never existed in Japan;1 b) ‘Philosophy’ was evident in Japan from the earliest written sources;2 or c) ‘Japanese Philosophy’ started with Nishida Kitarō’s Study of the Good (1911).3 To make things even more mind-boggling, experts and books upholding proposition b) – philosophical thought is evident in Japan from the earliest written sources – would either assert that it was b’) essentially the same as in the West, or b’’) essentially different from Western, and even from Indian and Chinese philosophy. The publication of a monumental sourcebook in Japanese Philosophy which contains materials from the 8th to the 20th century,4 and the introduction of pertinent articles in standard philosophical encyclopaedias such as the Routledge and the Stanford Encyclopaedias of Philosophy have changed the situation somewhat in the Western world, giving pre-eminence to variants of position b). But position a) is still upheld by many, 1 The locus classicus is Nakae Chōmin’s statement: ‘Since olden times to this day there has been no philosophy in Japan’, quoted recently eg. in Clinton, ‘“Philosophy” or “Religion”?’, p. 75. Godart adds: ‘This view, that there is no such thing as Japanese thought before 1868 which can be labeled “philosophy”, has become prevalent in Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophy 1
    Philosophy 1 PHILOSOPHY VISITING FACULTY Doing philosophy means reasoning about questions that are of basic importance to the human experience—questions like, What is a good life? What is reality? Aileen Baek How are knowledge and understanding possible? What should we believe? BA, Yonsei University; MA, Yonsei University; PHD, Yonsei University What norms should govern our societies, our relationships, and our activities? Visiting Associate Professor of Philosophy; Visiting Scholar in Philosophy Philosophers critically analyze ideas and practices that often are assumed without reflection. Wesleyan’s philosophy faculty draws on multiple traditions of Alessandra Buccella inquiry, offering a wide variety of perspectives and methods for addressing these BA, Universitagrave; degli Studi di Milano; MA, Universitagrave; degli Studi di questions. Milano; MA, Universidad de Barcelona; PHD, University of Pittsburgh Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy William Paris BA, Susquehanna University; MA, New York University; PHD, Pennsylvania State FACULTY University Stephen Angle Frank B. Weeks Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy BA, Yale University; PHD, University of Michigan Mansfield Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies; Professor of Philosophy; Director, Center for Global Studies; Professor, East Asian Studies EMERITI Lori Gruen Brian C. Fay BA, University of Colorado Boulder; PHD, University of Colorado Boulder BA, Loyola Marymount University; DPHIL, Oxford University; MA, Oxford William Griffin Professor of Philosophy; Professor
    [Show full text]
  • Reconsidering the Theoretical/Practical Divide: the Philosophy of Nishida Kitarō
    University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2013 Reconsidering The Theoretical/Practical Divide: The Philosophy Of Nishida Kitarō Lockland Vance Tyler University of Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation Tyler, Lockland Vance, "Reconsidering The Theoretical/Practical Divide: The Philosophy Of Nishida Kitarō" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 752. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/752 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RECONSIDERING THE THEORETICAL/PRACTICAL DIVIDE: THE PHILOSOPHY OF NISHIDA KITARŌ A Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Philosophy University of Mississippi by LOCKLAND V. TYLER APRIL 2013 Copyright Lockland V. Tyler 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT Over the years professional philosophy has undergone a number of significant changes. One of these changes corresponds to an increased emphasis on objectivity among philosophers. In light of new discoveries in logic and science, contemporary analytic philosophy seeks to establish the most objective methods and answers possible to advance philosophical progress in an unambiguous way. By doing so, we are able to more precisely analyze concepts, but the increased emphasis on precision has also been accompanied by some negative consequences. These consequences, unfortunately, are much larger and problematic than many may even realize. What we have eventually arrived in at in contemporary Anglo-American analytic philosophy is a complete repression of humanistic concerns.
    [Show full text]
  • David Dilworth
    David Dilworth | 2007-2017 Professor Dilworth specializes in the world history of philosophy employing a method that combines exegesis and comparative evaluation of the classic texts. He has done pioneer translation and critical work in the area of Asian, especially Japanese, thought; in more recent years he has specialized in classical American philosophy. He is now continuing a series of studies which establish a trans-Atlantic paradigm running from Kant and the post-Kantians (especially Schelling) to the epigones of American Transcendentalism (Emerson) and Pragmatism (Peirce, James). 1. Books Revised Translation of Fukuzawa Yukichi: Outline of a Theory of Civilization, trans. David A. Dilworth and G. Cameron Hurst, Tokyo: Keio University Press, 2008. (Prof. Hurst’s illness prevented him from doing any work on this redaction which involved intensive collaboration with the staff of Keio University Press during Jan. to May 2008.) Republished by Columbia University Press, 2009. Revised translation of Fukuzawa Yukichi: An Encouragement of Learning, trans. David Dilworth, Tokyo: Keio University Press, 2011. (This retranslation also involved intensive collaboration with the staff of Keio University Press, beginning Jan. 2008 to May 2008 and thereafter through 2010). Republished by Columbia University Press, 2012. 2. Chapters in Books “The Phenomenology and Logic of Inter-presence in Watsuji Tetsurô and Nishida Kitarô,” in Confluences: Studies from East to West in Honor of V. H. Viglielmo, ed. Nobuko Ochner and William Ridgeway, College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2005, 43-55. “Guiding Principles of Interpretation in Watsuji Testurō’s History of Japanese Ethical Thought, With Particular Reference to His Formulation of the Tension Between the Sonnō and Bushidō Traditions,” in Frontiers of Japanese Philosophy, ed.
    [Show full text]
  • Is Confucianism Philosophy? the Answers of Inoue Tetsujirō and Nakae Chōmin
    Is Confucianism philosophy ? The answers of Inoue Tetsujirō and Nakae Chōmin Eddy Dufourmont To cite this version: Eddy Dufourmont. Is Confucianism philosophy ? The answers of Inoue Tetsujirō and Nakae Chōmin . Nakajima Takahiro. Whither Japanese Philosophy 2? Reflections through Other Eyes, , University of Tokyo Center of Philosophy, 2010. hal-01522302 HAL Id: hal-01522302 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01522302 Submitted on 19 May 2017 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. 71 4 Is Confucianism philosophy ? The answers of Inoue Tetsujirō and Nakae Chōmin Eddy DUFOURMONT University of Bordeaux 3/ CEJ Inalco Introduction: a philosophical debate from beyond the grave Is Chinese thought a philosophy? This question has been discussed by scholars in the last years from a philosophical point of view,1 but it is possible also to adopt a historical point of view to answer the ques- tion, since Japanese thinkers faced the same problem during Meiji period (1868–1912), when the acquisition of European thought put in question the place of Chinese
    [Show full text]
  • Asian Philosophy Philosophy 260 the College of St
    1 AsiAn PhilosoPhy PhilosoPhy 260 The College of St. Rose Dr. Laura E. Weed Spring 2013 T Th 11:15-12:30 Alb 213 Office: 458 Western Ave., second floor Phone: 458-5328 Office Hours: Thurs. 3:00 p.m.- 4:15 p.m. and by appointment e-mail: [email protected] Course Text: The Pulse of Wisdom, The Philosophies of India, China and Japan, 2nd ed., Michael C. Brannigan, Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, Belmont, CA, 2000 Course Objectives This course will give a broad overview of Asian Philosophy, over a span of over 4,000 years, and over a range of countries including India, China, Tibet, Japan and other countries of South East Asia. We will examine major schools of thought in the Asian traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, and read selections from some of the major texts of Asian Philosophy. We will also examine some of the commentaries on those texts and traditions written by major thinkers within those traditions. Students will gain an appreciation for several deeply rich and old cultures that are very different from the western one, with which most of you are more familiar, in many basic aspects of the world view. Students will also learn to recognize and become able to write about some of the key figures and ideas in Asian Philosophy. Course Evaluation & Expectations Evaluation will be based on three exams, one paper, and classwork. The exams will be worth 20% of your grade, each, and will test your knowledge of Indian Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chinese and Japanese Philosophy.
    [Show full text]
  • Newsletter of the Centre of Jaina Studies
    Jaina Studies NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRE OF JAINA STUDIES March 2009 Issue 4 CoJS Newsletter • March 2009 • Issue 4 Centre for Jaina Studies' Members _____________________________________________________________________ SOAS MEMBERS EXTERNAL MEMBERS Honorary President Paul Dundas Professor J Clifford Wright (University of Edinburgh) Vedic, Classical Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit Senior Lecturer in Sanskrit language and literature; comparative philology Dr William Johnson (University of Cardiff) Chair/Director of the Centre Jainism; Indian religion; Sanskrit Indian Dr Peter Flügel Epic; Classical Indian religions; Sanskrit drama. Jainism; Religion and society in South Asia; Anthropology of religion; Religion ASSOCIATE MEMBERS and law; South Asian diaspora. John Guy Professor Lawrence A. Babb (Metropolitan Mueum of Art) Dr Daud Ali (Amherst College) History of medieval South India; Chola Professor Phyllis Granoff courtly culture in early medieval India Professor Nalini Balbir (Yale University) (Sorbonne Nouvelle) Dr Crispin Branfoot Dr Julia Hegewald Hindu, Buddhist and Jain Architecture, Dr Piotr Balcerowicz (University of Manchester) Sculpture and Painting; Pilgrimage and (University of Warsaw) Sacred Geography, Archaeology and Professor Rishabh Chandra Jain Material Religion; South India Nick Barnard (Muzaffarpur University) (Victoria and Albert Museum) Professor Ian Brown Professor Padmanabh S. Jaini The modern economic and political Professor Satya Ranjan Banerjee (UC Berkeley) history of South East Asia; the economic (University of Kolkata)
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophy (PHL) 1
    Philosophy (PHL) 1 PHL 130 Political Philosophy 3 Credits PHILOSOPHY (PHL) An introduction to the problems of political philosophy with an emphasis on recent and contemporary issues, such as the conflict between liberal PHL 100 Plato and Aristotle 3 Credits and conservative ideologies, fascism, revolution, civil disobedience, and The beginnings of Western scientific and humanistic thought among the the concept of legitimate political authority. This course counts towards early Greeks and their progress into the two great systems of Plato and the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS Aristotle. Selections from Plato and Aristotle are read and discussed to general education curriculum. determine the meaning and significance of philosophical ideas that have PHL 202 Social Philosophy 3 Credits subsequently influenced the whole history of Western civilization. This Emphasizes social ethics through critical studies of such contemporary course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives problems as abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, pornography and element of the CLAS general education curriculum. censorship, animal rights, drug use, sexual morality, environmental PHL 102 Philosophical Thinking 3 Credits ethics, and world hunger. This course counts towards the fulfillment of An introduction to philosophical thought with an emphasis on the the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education enduring questions and problems of philosophy. We will explore such curriculum. questions as: how do I know I am not dreaming? Is there an external PHL 203 Business Ethics 3 Credits world? What is truth? Is there a self? Is there a God? What is the Surveys and examines ethical problems concerning the institutions and relationship between the mind and the body? How can I tell right from practices of contemporary business.
    [Show full text]
  • Martin Heidegger's Thinking and Japanese Philosophy
    Martin Heidegger's Thinking and Japanese Philosophy KOICHI TSUJIMURA Translated by Richard Capobianco and Marie Gobel AN ADDRESS IN CELEBRATION, SEPTEMBER 26, 19691 ost honored Professor Heidegger! M Most honored Mrs. Heidegger! Honorable Mayor SchUhle! Ladies and Gentlemen! It is a great honor not only for me alone, but also for Japanese philosophy that I may deliver an address here today at the celebration of the 80th birthday of our great thinker. For this opportunity, I very sincerely thank those who have organized this celebration. The reason that this honorable task has been given to me, an unknown Japanese, is presumably that I, a Japanese student of Heidegger, am coming from afar, if I may say so. Yet, in the background of this coming from afar lies quite a long path, along which up until now many Japanese have tried, indeed are trying more and more today, to come into the nearness ofthe place where the thinking of our master sojourns. For this reason, please allow me to recall briefly some important predecessors along this path. It was in 1921 when for the first time a Japanese studied with our thinker, who was lecturing in Freiburg at the time. His name is T. Yamanouchi, who later founded the seminar on Greek philosophy at the University of Ky~to. One year later in 1922, my teacher H. Tanabe came to Freiburg. He was, as far as I can tell, the first to discover the importance of Heideggerian thinking-not only in Japan, but perhaps in the entire world as well. In his essay from 1924 The New Turn in Phenomenology-Heidegger's Phenomenology ofLife, one can already recognize a first version of Being and Time.
    [Show full text]
  • Goethe Dichtung Und Wahrheit Pdf
    Goethe dichtung und wahrheit pdf Continue Titelbild von Goethes erstem Druck 1828 aus Meinem Leben. Poesie und Wahrheit ist ein Buch aus den Jahren 1808 bis 1831, in dem Johann Wolfgang von Goethe über seine Erfahrungen aus seinem Leben von 1749 bis 1775 spricht. Geboren am 11. Oktober 1809, begann Goethe mit dem Konzept der Autobiographie (Diaries: Biography Scheme). In den letzten Januartagen 1811 begannen die Vorbereitungen. Am 17. Juni 1811 veröffentlichte er das erste Buch des Bandes I in gedruckter Form, am 25. Juli das zweite und dritte Buch. Am 4. Oktober 1812 wurde das Ende von Band II veröffentlicht. Am 8. April 1813 beschloss Goethe, die Biographie (nicht druckbares Vorwort zu Band III) auszusetzen, um lebende Menschen nicht zu ärgern (Brief an Eichstedt, 29. Januar 1815; Gespräch mit Boysery am 3. Oktober 1815). Nachrichten über die Fortsetzung von Band IV finden sich in den Jahren 1816, 1817, 1821, 1824 und 1825. Goethes letzter Leitartikel von Band IV begann erst am 9. November 1830. Band IV (Viertes Teal, ein Buch von sechzehn bis 2195 Seiten) erschien 1833 nach Goethes Tod in Goethes Werken. Vollversion der letzten Hand. Als Grund für das Schreiben einer Lebensgeschichte verweist Goethe im Vorwort auf zahlreiche Fragen, wie man so viele und so unterschiedliche Werke schreiben kann. Mit dem Buch will er den Mann dahinter, ihre Entwicklung und ihren Hintergrund für die Vielseitigkeit seiner Werke erklären. Inhalt von Goethes Kindheits- und Jugendfamilie in Schepentracht von Johann Conrad Seekatz (1762). Von rechts nach links: Katharina Elisabeth Goethe, Johann Caspar Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Cornelia Goethe widmet die ersten Kapitel Goethe, wo das Können seines Vaters, seine Ausbildung, die französische Besetzung Frankfurts im siebenjährigen Krieg und enge Beziehungen zu seiner Schwester Cornelia Schlosser die Zeit prägen.
    [Show full text]