The Kyoto School: An Introduction

by Robert E. Carter, Thomas P. Kasulis (Foreword by)

Overview

An accessible discussion of the thought of key figures of the Kyoto School of Japanese philosophy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438445427
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	01/21/2013
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Robert E. Carter is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Trent University in Canada. His many books include The Japanese Arts and Self-Cultivation and Encounter with Enlightenment: A Study of Japanese Ethics, both also published by SUNY Press.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Thomas P. Kasulis
A Note to the Reader
Acknowledgments

Introduction

A Different Kind of Philosophy
The Buddhist Background
The Kyoto School

1. Nishida Kitarō (1870–1945)

Background
The Early Years: Education
Pure Experience
A Unifying Power
The Place of Doubt
Becoming the Thing Itself
Absolute Nothingness
On Becoming Enlightened
Self and World
Ethics and Evil
Ethics
Nishida and Mysticism

2. Tanabe Hajime (1885–1962)

Life and Work
Metanoetics
Mediation
Mediation and Absolute Mediation
The Logic of the Specific
The Centrality of Ethics
Critique of Reason
The Ethics of Metanoetics
Society Transformed

3. Nishitani Keiji (1900–1990)

Life and Career
Nietzche and Nihilism
The Ten Ox-herding Pictures
The Meaning of “Nothingness”
A Way Out
Enlightenment
Relative and Absolute Nothingness
The Self
Selfless Ethics

4. Watsuji Tetsurō (1889–1960)

Life and Career
Climate and Culture
Ethics as the Study of Man
Double Negation
The Importance of Relationships
The Confucian Background
In the Betweeness
Kokoro and Aidagara
Watsuji and Nothingness
Back to the Everyday World
The Importance of the Body
Conclusion

5. Conclusion

Nishida and Tanabe
Tanabe’s Critique of Nishida
On Original Goodness
Nishitani
Watsuji

Glossary
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"...an excellent introduction to the work of some of the major figures of the Kyoto School of Philosophy ... the book provides the foundation for a first-rate syllabus for an entire course on the Kyoto School." - Religious Studies Review

"...Carter skillfully introduces the reader to the complexity of the thought of the Kyoto School thinkers while challenging the reader to continue his or her search by taking advantage of the multiple sources included in the Selected Bibliography. One leaves this book with a sense of a deeper appreciation of the distinctiveness of the Kyoto School thinkers and their struggle to elucidate what Nishida terms as 'unspeakable.'" - Journal of Buddhist Ethics

"Robert Carter's skill at making complex philosophical concepts comprehensible is once again in evidence in this excellent book ... With its lucid explanations, emphasis on the relevance of Kyoto school thought to everyday life, and concrete examples, The Kyoto School is an excellent text for a course on Japanese philosophy-all the more so because of its ample references to recent literature, glossary of terms, and helpful bibliography." - Monumenta Nipponica

From the Publisher