Japanese and Continental Philosophy

"This is a nice collection of papers on Japanese and Continental philosophy. The introductory essay by the editors is informative and insightful, providing an introduction both to the Kyoto School and to some important topics covered in the work. The editors opine that the essays can be understood as 'conversations on an Ox path,' thereby drawing together Heideggerian and Zen themes. The papers are well written and professionally done. Before modernity, the nihon-do or 'Japanese way' and its etiquette were sufficiently binding that the search for an adequate 'ethics of principle' was not necessary or even intelligible. Until the Meiji era, terms were lacking in the Japanese language for philosophical concepts and distinctions as rendered in the West. If understandable at all, Western metaphysical ideas such as substance, mind/body dualism, and the distinction between reason and sensibility were irrelevant to the Japanese sense of reality. Against this background, the unique texture and development of the Kyoto School of philosophy emerges as an important contribution to world philosophy. The present volume considerably advances East-West dialogue and the reputation of the Kyoto School. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. —Choice"

~F. J. Hoffman, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

"My overall assessment of this volume is that it is a strong and valuable source for specialists in the Kyoto School, as well as for nonspecialists within the Continental tradition who are curious about this movement. Vol. 2 2014"

~Journal of Japanese Philosophy

"This book, carefully edited and produced, is a welcome addition to the field of intercultural philosophy, and is recommended for all students of philosophy, language, religious studies, intellectual history, communication theory, comparative literature, and global studies."

~Journal of Asian Studies

"The present volume considerably advances East-West dialogue and the reputation of the Kyoto School. . . . Recommended."

~Choice

"Japanese and Continental Philosophy is a breathtaking venture into the lively world that opens between the Kyoto School and Western philosophy of a continental cast. If anyone harbors any doubts as to the value of bringing together these traditions, these doubts will be utterly dissipated upon reading this scintillating text. This is a book to savor, as timely in its appearance as it is replete with wisdom in its offering."

~Edward S. Casey, SUNY Stony Brook

"After a hundred and fifty years of studying western thought and rethinking it from their own spiritual and intellectual resources, Japanese philosophers have arrived at a watershed in securing their rightful place within a philosophical forum more open and comprehensive than ever before. The encounter of Western scholars with the Kyoto school has played a pivotal role in this turn of events. What is more, as the essays brought together in this book attest, the conversations have grown beyond one of translation, synopsis, and critical commentary for foreign consumption to include important contributions to that tradition itself."

~James W. Heisig, Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture