The human being : when philosophy meets history. Miki Kiyoshi, Watsuji Tetsuro and their quest for a New Ningen
Brivio, C.
Citation
Brivio, C. (2009, June 9). The human being : when philosophy meets history. Miki Kiyoshi, Watsuji Tetsuro and their quest for a New Ningen. Retrieved from
https://hdl.handle.net/1887/13835
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The Human Being: When Philosophy Meets History
Miki Kiyoshi, Watsuji Tetsurō and their Quest for a New Ningen
Chiara Brivio
Cover: René Magritte, Le visage du génie, 1926-27, Musée d’Ixelles, Bruxelles (after G.O. Ollinger-Zinque and F. Leen (eds), Magritte 1898-1967, Ghent, Ludion Press, 1998, cat. 51).
Printed by Wöhrmann Print Service, Zutphen, The Netherlands
The Human Being: When Philosophy Meets History Miki Kiyoshi, Watsuji Tetsurō and Their Quest for
a New Ningen
PROEFSCHRIFT
ter verkrijging van
de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden,
op gezag van Rector Magnificus prof. mr. P.F. van der Heijden, volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties
te verdedigen op dinsdag 9 juni, 2009 klokke 13.45 uur
door
Chiara Brivio
geboren te Morbegno, Italie
in 1980
Promotiecommissie:
Promotoren: Prof. dr. C.S. Goto-Jones
Prof. dr. R. Kersten (Australian National University) Overige leden: Prof. dr. H.D. Harootunian (New York University)
Prof. dr. A. Schneider
Prof. dr. S. Stuurman (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam)
Ad melioram
Let my shoes lead me forward, please bring me some luck
Jenny Wilson
8
Contents
Abbreviations 10
INTRODUCTION 11
I. NEW CHALLENGES FOR OLD DISCIPLINES 20
Intellectual History and Philosophy 20
Methodology Before 23
Three Methods 26
History of Philosophy 30
II. THE BIRTH OF NINGEN 32
Founding the Human Being in the 1920s-1930s
Before Europe 34
The European trip: Miki Kiyoshi in Marburg (1923-24) 37 The Discovery of Pascal: Miki Kiyoshi in Paris (1924-25) 41 An Analysis of the Human Being in Miki: Medianity (1) 43 An Analysis of the Human Being in Watsuji: Medianity (2) 46
Betweeness as Innovation 49
Miki Kiyoshi: a New Human Being 54
Watsuji Tetsurō: the Human Being as a ‘Political Being’ 64
Conclusions 69
III. NINGEN AND SOCIETY 71
The Influence of Marxism in the 1930s
Marxism in Japan 73
Watsuji and Marxism 75
Miki Kiyoshi’s ‘Humanistic’ Marxism 80
Watsuji and Japanese Society 90
The Return to the Pascalian Moment 96
Conclusions 103
IV. NINGEN AND THE NATIONAL CHARACTER 105
History and the Nation: the 1930s and the 1950s
Time and Consciousness 110
Anthropology and Ideology: the Role of Consciousness 118 Angst and Humanism: the Renovation of the Human Being as ‘Type’ 121
Miki’s Politics 127
Watsuji’s Philosophy of History 129
National Seclusion and National Particularity 135
Conclusions 139
V. NINGEN AND MODERNITY 141
Before and After the War: the 1940s and the 1950s
9
The Road to Technology 145
The Acting Subject 148
Technology and Society 152
The Return of the Present 159
Miki as State Intellectual 161
Before the ‘Reverence’ 164
Watsuji’s ‘Mythicized’ Emperor 166
The Symbol Emperor 173
Conclusions 177
VI. NINGEN AND IDEOLOGY 179
The Escaton of the War and the Failure of a Destiny
State of the Field 179
Escaton and Destiny 182
The Shōwa Research Association 186
Towards the ‘Intellectual Principles of the New Japan’ 188
The ‘Principles’ 193
Watsuji and the Kokutai no Hongi 198
The Way of the Japanese Subject 200
The American National Character 204
Conclusions 208
CONCLUSION 209
BIBLIOGRAPHY 215
Samenvatting 238
Acknowledgements 242
Curriculum Vitae 244
Index 245
10
Abbreviations
KHZ Kawakami Hajime Zenshū, 36 vols., Tokyo, Iwanami Shoten, 1982-1986.
MKZ Miki Kiyoshi Zenshū, 20 vols., Tokyo, Iwanami Shoten, 1966-1986.
TJZ Tosaka Jun Zenshū, 6 vols., Tokyo, Keisō Shobō, 1966-1979.
WTZ Watsuji Tetsurō Zenshū, 27 vols., Tokyo, Iwanami Shoten, 1962-1992.
Conventions
Japanese names follow the standard Japanese convention of having the family name followed by the given name (e.g. Miki Kiyoshi, Watsuji Tetsurō).
Translations from the original texts are mine when otherwise stated.
