KenjuroYanagida and Taiwan: A Discussion of Knowing and Acting and His Concept of Dialogue

Title

KenjuroYanagida and Taiwan: A Discussion of Knowing and Acting and His Concept of Dialogue

Author

Taizo YOKOYAMA

Page

85-113

DOI

10.6163/TJEAS.201806_15(1).0004

Abstract

This paper spotlights Kenjuro-Yanagida(1893-1983), an Japanese philosopher whom has not been fully studied by researchers previously. By analyzing the works his produced during his 12 years (1929-1941) of stay in the former colonial Taiwan, this study elucidates the originality in his philosophy.
Upon his arrival in Taiwan, Yanagida began studying the philosophy of Nishida Kitaro and was intrigued by its methodology. At that time, objectification did not only prevail among social scientists, but also among civil societies where rapid modernization and expansion of capitalism were widely witnessed. With his unique interpretation of Nishida’s, Yanagida began to criticize the thinking patterns of social scientists, believing that it was one of the main causes to poverty and public suffering.
Yanagida read Nishida’s thesis, “Empirical Science”(1939), and later after the end of World War II, he developed his original idea out of his criticism to Nishida. He found that “knowing” (chi) has a sense of “philosophy” in its deepest meaning as practice, whilst “acting” (gyo) contains a sense of “dialogue” as “historical operation” or “experiment” in a continuum of “knowing and Acting” (chi to gyo), which he had once originally proposed in 1936. This finding led to his unique concept of dialogue. This paper details the aforementioned development of Yanagida’s philosophy as well as the influence he received from Nishida’s Philosophy.

Keyword

KenjuroYanagida, Taiwan, Kitaro Nishida, Philosophy, Dialogue

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