A Japanese Researcher in the following areas:(1) Hermeneutic Philosophy (Gadamer etc.)(2) Hermeneutic Theology (3) Schleiermacher Studies (4) Japanese Philosophy of Kyoto School (mainly Seiichi Hatano and Kitaro Nishida)(5) Modern History of Japanese Christianity (Member of the project for salvaging and preserving the manuscripts of Takayoshi MATSUYAMA, a Christian in Meiji era)
Although the clarification of Nishida's reception of classical German philosophy has been particu... more Although the clarification of Nishida's reception of classical German philosophy has been particularly significant in Nishida studies, the influence of Friedrich Schleiermacher has long been underestimated due to the limited references to Schleiermacher in Nishida's writings. Challenging this tendency, Kobayashi Toshiaki has highlighted an undeniable affinity between them concerning their Romanticism. Based on this hypothesis, this essay aims to demonstrate that the affinity between Nishida and Schleiermacher can be elucidated through their shared Romantic Spinozism. First, both Schleiermacher's "intuition and feeling" and Nishida's "pure experience" denote the pre-reflective state of consciousness which implies a sense of unity with the divine reality. Second, they both criticize the anthropomorphic view of a personal God in favor of the impersonal God of Spinozism, and argue for religious immortality in which human individuality merges into the unity of the divine reality, akin to "a drop in the ocean." Moreover, this structural comparison is reinforced by Nishida's interpretation of Schleiermacher in the recently published manuscript of Nishida's "Lecture on Religious Studies.
Although Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics has been accused of relativism, there have been sev... more Although Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics has been accused of relativism, there have been several attempts to interpret his position as realism. Among them, the theory of Wachterhauser’s “perspectival realism” offers a convincing reading. In this paper, however, it is demonstrated that Gadamer is not a realist in the normal sense by comparing Wachterhauser’s theory and Gadamer’s original text of Truth and Method. Although Wachterhauser captures the bipolar structure of Gadamer’s argument regarding one reality and plural perspectives, he fails to grasp Gadamer’s emphasis by overstressing the accessibility of reality, whereas Gadamer limits himself to perspectives which maintain that reality is nothing other than a continuity of these perspectives. The concept of reality, or in Gadamer’s own term, the “world-in-itself,” should not be used “constitutively” but “regulatively” in the Kantian sense: An objective statement about it should be avoided; rather, it works as the focus imaginarius of the linguistic perspectives. Gadamer’s attitude towards Kant is also discussed in this context: Although Wachterhauser claims that Gadamer is anti-Kantian in his orientation, it is shown that Gadamer shares the principal spirit of critical philosophy with Kant, namely not taking phenomena as thing-in-itself. The reason that Gadamer did not take the last step to realism is, in the end, interpreted as his radical attitude of docta ignorantia, which warns against dogmatism and maintains a hermeneutic openness to the other possibility.
The word “Being” in Hans- Georg Gadamer’s dictum “Being, that can be understood, is language” in ... more The word “Being” in Hans- Georg Gadamer’s dictum “Being, that can be understood, is language” in Truth and Method (1960) has been understood in the sense of world or reality, meaning that individual beings in this world are linguistically decipherable. However, this interpretation of the dictum contradicts the thought of ontological difference expressed by Heidegger, Gadamer’s primary master of philosophy, because it takes “Being” itself as the totality of beings; hence, it neglects the distinction between individual beings (Seiendes) and Being itself (Sein). In this paper it is therefore demonstrated through a consistent analysis of the third part of Truth and Method that the word “Being” in Gadamer’s dictum should be taken as self- expression of Being of beings and that the continuity between Heidegger and Gadamer is preserved in this respect.
Frontiers of Japanese Philosophy (Transitions: Crossing Boundaries in Japanese Philosophy), 2021
In this presentation, the philosophical anthropology of Seiichi HATANO (波多野精一1877-1950) is interp... more In this presentation, the philosophical anthropology of Seiichi HATANO (波多野精一1877-1950) is interpreted as a transition of the ways of human beings. As one of the towering figures in Japanese philosophy of the so-called Kyoto School, Hatano has engaged in the history of philosophy and Christianity in his entire career, with his studies into the philosophy of religion culminating in the trilogy, Philosophy of Religion (1935), Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion (1940), and Time and Eternity (1943). While Buddhist philosophers such as Kitaro Nishida or Keiji Nishitani have been intensively studied as the main stream of the Kyoto School, Hatano, a Christian philosopher, has been more or less ignored for a long time. This presentation is, in this respect, a contribution from the new perspective to the entire scholarship of Japanese philosophy and the Kyoto school. In Time and Eternity, Hatano deals with philosophical anthropology as a significant element of his philosophy of religion, together with typology and essence of religions. In previous research, Hatano’s philosophical anthropology has been explained as the development of the three forms of life, which constitute the whole schema of Time and Eternity: namely natural life, cultural life, and religious life. This analysis itself is not wrong or irrelevant, but it can be sophisticated to the point, where the ethical demand of his philosophical anthropology becomes clearer. In my view, the core concept of his philosophical anthropology can be described as “the transition from ‘expression’ to ‘symbol.’” While “expression” is a way of being whereby the subject uses the other as material for self-expression, the subject as “symbol,” on the contrary, becomes the expression of the other, especially transcendence or God. In this way, Hatano clearly followed in the Christian tradition of self-sacrifice, and gave it a sophisticated philosophical expression. However, this discourse could be seen as problematic if it is properly situated in the Japanese context of Hatano’s lifetime and today. When Time and Eternity was published in 1943, Japan was in the midst of the Pacific War. Although Hatano, an old liberalist, was not a supporter of the so-called “Great East Asian War,” and could be even critical against it, it is still likely that his religious discourse of self-sacrifice had affinities with the nationalistic ideology of “annihilating the self, serving the public.” (滅私奉公) In this way it is necessary to take over Hatano’s heritage critically and to reread it for the foundation of Japanese philosophy of religion today.
(Deutsch) Das Wort "Sein" in der Aussage Hans-Georg Gadamers ("Sein, das verstanden werden kann, ... more (Deutsch) Das Wort "Sein" in der Aussage Hans-Georg Gadamers ("Sein, das verstanden werden kann, ist Sprache") in Wahrheit und Methode (1960) ist lange im Sinne der Welt oder Realität aufgefasst worden, welches bedeutet, dass einzelnes Seiendes in der Welt sprachlich entziffert werden kann. Jedoch steht diese Interpretation der Aussage in Widerspruch mit dem Gedanken der ontologischen Differenz Heideggers, der philosophische Meister Gadamers, weil diese Interpretation "Sein" als die Totalität des Seienden versteht und deshalb den Unterschied zwischen Seiendes und Sein vernachlässigt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird deswegen durch eine konsequente Analyse des dritten Teils von Wahrheit und Methode gezeigt, dass "Sein" in Gadamers Aussage wörtlich zu nehmen ist und dass die Kontinuität zwischen Heidegger und Gadamer in diesem Bezug beizubehalten ist.
In diesem Aufsatz wird eine Einführung in die Philosophie A.F. Kochs dargestellt, indem einige pr... more In diesem Aufsatz wird eine Einführung in die Philosophie A.F. Kochs dargestellt, indem einige prinzipielle Ideen seines Gedankens und die Entwicklung zwischen Versuch über Wahrheit und Zeit (=VWZ, 2006) und Hermeneutischer Realismus (=HR, 2016) skizziert werden. Erstens wird die Prolegomena des Systems VWZs erläutert, nämlich die Erste Philosophie als Ziel, der Wahrheitsbegriff als Gegenstand, die Tatsache des Wahrheitsanspruchs und dabei versteckte Voraussetzungen und Unterstellungen als Ausgangaspunkt, und Apriorismus als Methode. Zweitens werden die Theorie der Voraussetzungen a priori (TVA) und Subjektivitätsthese als ein der Höhepunkte des Systems gezeigt, die das Subjekt sowie Raum und Zeit als Grundrahmen der Diskussion setzen. Drittens wird die Entwicklung zu HR behandelt, und besonders die These der Lesbarkeit der Welt erklärt, die aufgrund der Gedanken Wittgensteins und Sellars vertritt, dass das Subjekt durch Spracherwerb die im Objekt eingesetzten Prädikate entfalten kann, d.h. "lesen" kann. Viertens wird Kochs Hermeneutischer Realismus aufgrund der Debatte im Philosophischen Jahrbuch mit Neutraler Realismus Markus Gabriels vergleicht, der neulich mit der Übersetzung von Warum es die Welt nicht gibt? als der Vertreter des Neuen Realismus in Japan eingeführt wurde.
English Abstract of following paper: Yusuke Okada, The relationship between “Truth” and “Method” ... more English Abstract of following paper: Yusuke Okada, The relationship between “Truth” and “Method” in Gadamer’s Hermeneutics: Focusing on the two dimensions of the “historicity of understanding” in Dilthey-Forschung vol.29, pp.64-85. (Japanese)
This article offers a bibliography of the secondary literatures about H.-G. Gadamer(1900–2002), a... more This article offers a bibliography of the secondary literatures about H.-G. Gadamer(1900–2002), analyzing them according to dates, languages, and themes. The literatures are limited to formally published books. Therefore, papers and articles in journals are not included. First, the brief histories of the Gadamerian research in each language group—German, English, Italian, French, and Japanese—are overviewed. Second, the literatures are classified according to the individual themes, such as (1) systematic research of Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics, (2) relations and comparisons with other thinkers (Habermas, Derrida, etc.), and (3) specific themes (aesthetics, language, etc.).
Gadamer and Pannenberg
Yusuke Okada
Theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg, in his response to Hans-G... more Gadamer and Pannenberg
Yusuke Okada
Theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg, in his response to Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Wahrheit und Methode, challenged his hermeneutics by noting the following two things. First, Gadamer discusses the “speculative element” of language, emphasizing “the infinity of what is not said” behind words, and in doing so, according to Pannenberg, disregards the “statement” (Aussage) as a form of language, which enables a sentence to unequivocally designate and describe an objective state of affairs. Although this criticism itself is valid, this is not a problem of “either/or”. The two aspects of language they put forward should be in a reciprocal relationship. Second, Pannenberg argued that Gadamer’s hermeneutics and his concept of a “fusion of horizons” necessarily merge into Pannenberg’s own theological program, namely universal history. Being convinced that history should always include the horizon of the future, this philosopher could not agree to the theologian’s program, perhaps because it presupposes the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as an objective historical fact.
(English Abstract: Yusuke Okada “Gadamer and Pannenberg” in Theological Studies in Japan, vol.56, 2017, pp. 60-81.)
The Concept of " Finitude " in the Hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer Yusuke OKADA This study aim... more The Concept of " Finitude " in the Hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer Yusuke OKADA This study aims to demonstrate that the concept of " finitude " (Endlichkeit) lies at the core of Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics and connects it to the studies of religious thought. Finitude can be classified into historical finitude and linguistic finitude, which are discussed in the second and third part, respectively, of Gadamer's Truth and Method (1960). Historical finitude is the essence of human existence, rejecting the Hegelian " absolute mediation of history and truth. " Human beings are historically limited and are unable to reflect the history of effect (Wirkungsgeschichte) completely. Furthermore, human experience is always exposed to the danger of being negated even while it retains its openness (Offenheit). Linguistic finitude indicates that human language can express only one aspect of the reality. Therefore, this one-sidedness needs to be complemented by the infinite movement of finite language (das Spekulative). In this way, finitude turns to infinity. It explains the infinite possible meaning of religious texts, which continue telling their truths to successive generations. Moreover, considering the decisive significance of the concept of finitude in the tradition of hermeneutics (from Heidegger to Vattimo), this Gadamerian finitude also offers a foundation for building the hermeneutic anthropology.
A german presentation about Matsuyama Takayoshi, a Christian in Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Era. He ... more A german presentation about Matsuyama Takayoshi, a Christian in Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Era. He was famous as the Bible translator, educator, and Hymn lyricist, but forgotten for the long time. Our research teem has salvaged his manuscripts and scanned for preservation and further study. This presentation is a rough sketch of the life of Matsuyama Takayoshi, and the short report of our research.
A short introduction to Kyoto School and its relation to Germany (Kölner Kyoto-Tag, 28. Januar 20... more A short introduction to Kyoto School and its relation to Germany (Kölner Kyoto-Tag, 28. Januar 2017. Japanisches Kulturinstitut Köln)
Although the clarification of Nishida's reception of classical German philosophy has been particu... more Although the clarification of Nishida's reception of classical German philosophy has been particularly significant in Nishida studies, the influence of Friedrich Schleiermacher has long been underestimated due to the limited references to Schleiermacher in Nishida's writings. Challenging this tendency, Kobayashi Toshiaki has highlighted an undeniable affinity between them concerning their Romanticism. Based on this hypothesis, this essay aims to demonstrate that the affinity between Nishida and Schleiermacher can be elucidated through their shared Romantic Spinozism. First, both Schleiermacher's "intuition and feeling" and Nishida's "pure experience" denote the pre-reflective state of consciousness which implies a sense of unity with the divine reality. Second, they both criticize the anthropomorphic view of a personal God in favor of the impersonal God of Spinozism, and argue for religious immortality in which human individuality merges into the unity of the divine reality, akin to "a drop in the ocean." Moreover, this structural comparison is reinforced by Nishida's interpretation of Schleiermacher in the recently published manuscript of Nishida's "Lecture on Religious Studies.
Although Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics has been accused of relativism, there have been sev... more Although Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics has been accused of relativism, there have been several attempts to interpret his position as realism. Among them, the theory of Wachterhauser’s “perspectival realism” offers a convincing reading. In this paper, however, it is demonstrated that Gadamer is not a realist in the normal sense by comparing Wachterhauser’s theory and Gadamer’s original text of Truth and Method. Although Wachterhauser captures the bipolar structure of Gadamer’s argument regarding one reality and plural perspectives, he fails to grasp Gadamer’s emphasis by overstressing the accessibility of reality, whereas Gadamer limits himself to perspectives which maintain that reality is nothing other than a continuity of these perspectives. The concept of reality, or in Gadamer’s own term, the “world-in-itself,” should not be used “constitutively” but “regulatively” in the Kantian sense: An objective statement about it should be avoided; rather, it works as the focus imaginarius of the linguistic perspectives. Gadamer’s attitude towards Kant is also discussed in this context: Although Wachterhauser claims that Gadamer is anti-Kantian in his orientation, it is shown that Gadamer shares the principal spirit of critical philosophy with Kant, namely not taking phenomena as thing-in-itself. The reason that Gadamer did not take the last step to realism is, in the end, interpreted as his radical attitude of docta ignorantia, which warns against dogmatism and maintains a hermeneutic openness to the other possibility.
The word “Being” in Hans- Georg Gadamer’s dictum “Being, that can be understood, is language” in ... more The word “Being” in Hans- Georg Gadamer’s dictum “Being, that can be understood, is language” in Truth and Method (1960) has been understood in the sense of world or reality, meaning that individual beings in this world are linguistically decipherable. However, this interpretation of the dictum contradicts the thought of ontological difference expressed by Heidegger, Gadamer’s primary master of philosophy, because it takes “Being” itself as the totality of beings; hence, it neglects the distinction between individual beings (Seiendes) and Being itself (Sein). In this paper it is therefore demonstrated through a consistent analysis of the third part of Truth and Method that the word “Being” in Gadamer’s dictum should be taken as self- expression of Being of beings and that the continuity between Heidegger and Gadamer is preserved in this respect.
Frontiers of Japanese Philosophy (Transitions: Crossing Boundaries in Japanese Philosophy), 2021
In this presentation, the philosophical anthropology of Seiichi HATANO (波多野精一1877-1950) is interp... more In this presentation, the philosophical anthropology of Seiichi HATANO (波多野精一1877-1950) is interpreted as a transition of the ways of human beings. As one of the towering figures in Japanese philosophy of the so-called Kyoto School, Hatano has engaged in the history of philosophy and Christianity in his entire career, with his studies into the philosophy of religion culminating in the trilogy, Philosophy of Religion (1935), Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion (1940), and Time and Eternity (1943). While Buddhist philosophers such as Kitaro Nishida or Keiji Nishitani have been intensively studied as the main stream of the Kyoto School, Hatano, a Christian philosopher, has been more or less ignored for a long time. This presentation is, in this respect, a contribution from the new perspective to the entire scholarship of Japanese philosophy and the Kyoto school. In Time and Eternity, Hatano deals with philosophical anthropology as a significant element of his philosophy of religion, together with typology and essence of religions. In previous research, Hatano’s philosophical anthropology has been explained as the development of the three forms of life, which constitute the whole schema of Time and Eternity: namely natural life, cultural life, and religious life. This analysis itself is not wrong or irrelevant, but it can be sophisticated to the point, where the ethical demand of his philosophical anthropology becomes clearer. In my view, the core concept of his philosophical anthropology can be described as “the transition from ‘expression’ to ‘symbol.’” While “expression” is a way of being whereby the subject uses the other as material for self-expression, the subject as “symbol,” on the contrary, becomes the expression of the other, especially transcendence or God. In this way, Hatano clearly followed in the Christian tradition of self-sacrifice, and gave it a sophisticated philosophical expression. However, this discourse could be seen as problematic if it is properly situated in the Japanese context of Hatano’s lifetime and today. When Time and Eternity was published in 1943, Japan was in the midst of the Pacific War. Although Hatano, an old liberalist, was not a supporter of the so-called “Great East Asian War,” and could be even critical against it, it is still likely that his religious discourse of self-sacrifice had affinities with the nationalistic ideology of “annihilating the self, serving the public.” (滅私奉公) In this way it is necessary to take over Hatano’s heritage critically and to reread it for the foundation of Japanese philosophy of religion today.
(Deutsch) Das Wort "Sein" in der Aussage Hans-Georg Gadamers ("Sein, das verstanden werden kann, ... more (Deutsch) Das Wort "Sein" in der Aussage Hans-Georg Gadamers ("Sein, das verstanden werden kann, ist Sprache") in Wahrheit und Methode (1960) ist lange im Sinne der Welt oder Realität aufgefasst worden, welches bedeutet, dass einzelnes Seiendes in der Welt sprachlich entziffert werden kann. Jedoch steht diese Interpretation der Aussage in Widerspruch mit dem Gedanken der ontologischen Differenz Heideggers, der philosophische Meister Gadamers, weil diese Interpretation "Sein" als die Totalität des Seienden versteht und deshalb den Unterschied zwischen Seiendes und Sein vernachlässigt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird deswegen durch eine konsequente Analyse des dritten Teils von Wahrheit und Methode gezeigt, dass "Sein" in Gadamers Aussage wörtlich zu nehmen ist und dass die Kontinuität zwischen Heidegger und Gadamer in diesem Bezug beizubehalten ist.
In diesem Aufsatz wird eine Einführung in die Philosophie A.F. Kochs dargestellt, indem einige pr... more In diesem Aufsatz wird eine Einführung in die Philosophie A.F. Kochs dargestellt, indem einige prinzipielle Ideen seines Gedankens und die Entwicklung zwischen Versuch über Wahrheit und Zeit (=VWZ, 2006) und Hermeneutischer Realismus (=HR, 2016) skizziert werden. Erstens wird die Prolegomena des Systems VWZs erläutert, nämlich die Erste Philosophie als Ziel, der Wahrheitsbegriff als Gegenstand, die Tatsache des Wahrheitsanspruchs und dabei versteckte Voraussetzungen und Unterstellungen als Ausgangaspunkt, und Apriorismus als Methode. Zweitens werden die Theorie der Voraussetzungen a priori (TVA) und Subjektivitätsthese als ein der Höhepunkte des Systems gezeigt, die das Subjekt sowie Raum und Zeit als Grundrahmen der Diskussion setzen. Drittens wird die Entwicklung zu HR behandelt, und besonders die These der Lesbarkeit der Welt erklärt, die aufgrund der Gedanken Wittgensteins und Sellars vertritt, dass das Subjekt durch Spracherwerb die im Objekt eingesetzten Prädikate entfalten kann, d.h. "lesen" kann. Viertens wird Kochs Hermeneutischer Realismus aufgrund der Debatte im Philosophischen Jahrbuch mit Neutraler Realismus Markus Gabriels vergleicht, der neulich mit der Übersetzung von Warum es die Welt nicht gibt? als der Vertreter des Neuen Realismus in Japan eingeführt wurde.
English Abstract of following paper: Yusuke Okada, The relationship between “Truth” and “Method” ... more English Abstract of following paper: Yusuke Okada, The relationship between “Truth” and “Method” in Gadamer’s Hermeneutics: Focusing on the two dimensions of the “historicity of understanding” in Dilthey-Forschung vol.29, pp.64-85. (Japanese)
This article offers a bibliography of the secondary literatures about H.-G. Gadamer(1900–2002), a... more This article offers a bibliography of the secondary literatures about H.-G. Gadamer(1900–2002), analyzing them according to dates, languages, and themes. The literatures are limited to formally published books. Therefore, papers and articles in journals are not included. First, the brief histories of the Gadamerian research in each language group—German, English, Italian, French, and Japanese—are overviewed. Second, the literatures are classified according to the individual themes, such as (1) systematic research of Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics, (2) relations and comparisons with other thinkers (Habermas, Derrida, etc.), and (3) specific themes (aesthetics, language, etc.).
Gadamer and Pannenberg
Yusuke Okada
Theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg, in his response to Hans-G... more Gadamer and Pannenberg
Yusuke Okada
Theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg, in his response to Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Wahrheit und Methode, challenged his hermeneutics by noting the following two things. First, Gadamer discusses the “speculative element” of language, emphasizing “the infinity of what is not said” behind words, and in doing so, according to Pannenberg, disregards the “statement” (Aussage) as a form of language, which enables a sentence to unequivocally designate and describe an objective state of affairs. Although this criticism itself is valid, this is not a problem of “either/or”. The two aspects of language they put forward should be in a reciprocal relationship. Second, Pannenberg argued that Gadamer’s hermeneutics and his concept of a “fusion of horizons” necessarily merge into Pannenberg’s own theological program, namely universal history. Being convinced that history should always include the horizon of the future, this philosopher could not agree to the theologian’s program, perhaps because it presupposes the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as an objective historical fact.
(English Abstract: Yusuke Okada “Gadamer and Pannenberg” in Theological Studies in Japan, vol.56, 2017, pp. 60-81.)
The Concept of " Finitude " in the Hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer Yusuke OKADA This study aim... more The Concept of " Finitude " in the Hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer Yusuke OKADA This study aims to demonstrate that the concept of " finitude " (Endlichkeit) lies at the core of Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics and connects it to the studies of religious thought. Finitude can be classified into historical finitude and linguistic finitude, which are discussed in the second and third part, respectively, of Gadamer's Truth and Method (1960). Historical finitude is the essence of human existence, rejecting the Hegelian " absolute mediation of history and truth. " Human beings are historically limited and are unable to reflect the history of effect (Wirkungsgeschichte) completely. Furthermore, human experience is always exposed to the danger of being negated even while it retains its openness (Offenheit). Linguistic finitude indicates that human language can express only one aspect of the reality. Therefore, this one-sidedness needs to be complemented by the infinite movement of finite language (das Spekulative). In this way, finitude turns to infinity. It explains the infinite possible meaning of religious texts, which continue telling their truths to successive generations. Moreover, considering the decisive significance of the concept of finitude in the tradition of hermeneutics (from Heidegger to Vattimo), this Gadamerian finitude also offers a foundation for building the hermeneutic anthropology.
A german presentation about Matsuyama Takayoshi, a Christian in Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Era. He ... more A german presentation about Matsuyama Takayoshi, a Christian in Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Era. He was famous as the Bible translator, educator, and Hymn lyricist, but forgotten for the long time. Our research teem has salvaged his manuscripts and scanned for preservation and further study. This presentation is a rough sketch of the life of Matsuyama Takayoshi, and the short report of our research.
A short introduction to Kyoto School and its relation to Germany (Kölner Kyoto-Tag, 28. Januar 20... more A short introduction to Kyoto School and its relation to Germany (Kölner Kyoto-Tag, 28. Januar 2017. Japanisches Kulturinstitut Köln)
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Papers by Yusuke Okada
Heidegger, Gadamer’s primary master of philosophy, because it takes “Being” itself as the totality of beings; hence, it neglects the distinction between individual beings (Seiendes) and Being itself (Sein). In this paper it is therefore demonstrated through a consistent analysis of the third part of Truth and Method that the word “Being” in Gadamer’s dictum should be taken as self- expression of Being of beings and that the continuity between Heidegger and Gadamer is preserved in this respect.
In Time and Eternity, Hatano deals with philosophical anthropology as a significant element of his philosophy of religion, together with typology and essence of religions. In previous research, Hatano’s philosophical anthropology has been explained as the development of the three forms of life, which constitute the whole schema of Time and Eternity: namely natural life, cultural life, and religious life. This analysis itself is not wrong or irrelevant, but it can be sophisticated to the point, where the ethical demand of his philosophical anthropology becomes clearer. In my view, the core concept of his philosophical anthropology can be described as “the transition from ‘expression’ to ‘symbol.’” While “expression” is a way of being whereby the subject uses the other as material for self-expression, the subject as “symbol,” on the contrary, becomes the expression of the other, especially transcendence or God. In this way, Hatano clearly followed in the Christian tradition of self-sacrifice, and gave it a sophisticated philosophical expression.
However, this discourse could be seen as problematic if it is properly situated in the Japanese context of Hatano’s lifetime and today. When Time and Eternity was published in 1943, Japan was in the midst of the Pacific War. Although Hatano, an old liberalist, was not a supporter of the so-called “Great East Asian War,” and could be even critical against it, it is still likely that his religious discourse of self-sacrifice had affinities with the nationalistic ideology of “annihilating the self, serving the public.” (滅私奉公) In this way it is necessary to take over Hatano’s heritage critically and to reread it for the foundation of Japanese philosophy of religion today.
systematic research of Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics, (2) relations and comparisons with other thinkers (Habermas, Derrida, etc.), and (3) specific themes (aesthetics, language, etc.).
Yusuke Okada
Theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg, in his response to Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Wahrheit und Methode, challenged his hermeneutics by noting the following two things. First, Gadamer discusses the “speculative element” of language, emphasizing “the infinity of what is not said” behind words, and in doing so, according to Pannenberg, disregards the “statement” (Aussage) as a form of language, which enables a sentence to unequivocally designate and describe an objective state of affairs. Although this criticism itself is valid, this is not a problem of “either/or”. The two aspects of language they put forward should be in a reciprocal relationship. Second, Pannenberg argued that Gadamer’s hermeneutics and his concept of a “fusion of horizons” necessarily merge into Pannenberg’s own theological program, namely universal history. Being convinced that history should always include the horizon of the future, this philosopher could not agree to the theologian’s program, perhaps because it presupposes the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as an objective historical fact.
(English Abstract: Yusuke Okada “Gadamer and Pannenberg” in Theological Studies in Japan, vol.56, 2017, pp. 60-81.)
Talks by Yusuke Okada
This presentation is mainly based on the following Japanese article.
岡田勇督「松山高吉 ――その生涯と資料調査の現状 ――」『アジア・キリスト教・多元性』2017, 5-14(Yusuke OKADA, Takayoshi MATSUYAMA: His Life and the Situation of Manuscript Research, in Asia Christianity and Diversity)
https://repository.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2433/224804/1/asia15_5.pdf
Book Reviews by Yusuke Okada
Heidegger, Gadamer’s primary master of philosophy, because it takes “Being” itself as the totality of beings; hence, it neglects the distinction between individual beings (Seiendes) and Being itself (Sein). In this paper it is therefore demonstrated through a consistent analysis of the third part of Truth and Method that the word “Being” in Gadamer’s dictum should be taken as self- expression of Being of beings and that the continuity between Heidegger and Gadamer is preserved in this respect.
In Time and Eternity, Hatano deals with philosophical anthropology as a significant element of his philosophy of religion, together with typology and essence of religions. In previous research, Hatano’s philosophical anthropology has been explained as the development of the three forms of life, which constitute the whole schema of Time and Eternity: namely natural life, cultural life, and religious life. This analysis itself is not wrong or irrelevant, but it can be sophisticated to the point, where the ethical demand of his philosophical anthropology becomes clearer. In my view, the core concept of his philosophical anthropology can be described as “the transition from ‘expression’ to ‘symbol.’” While “expression” is a way of being whereby the subject uses the other as material for self-expression, the subject as “symbol,” on the contrary, becomes the expression of the other, especially transcendence or God. In this way, Hatano clearly followed in the Christian tradition of self-sacrifice, and gave it a sophisticated philosophical expression.
However, this discourse could be seen as problematic if it is properly situated in the Japanese context of Hatano’s lifetime and today. When Time and Eternity was published in 1943, Japan was in the midst of the Pacific War. Although Hatano, an old liberalist, was not a supporter of the so-called “Great East Asian War,” and could be even critical against it, it is still likely that his religious discourse of self-sacrifice had affinities with the nationalistic ideology of “annihilating the self, serving the public.” (滅私奉公) In this way it is necessary to take over Hatano’s heritage critically and to reread it for the foundation of Japanese philosophy of religion today.
systematic research of Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics, (2) relations and comparisons with other thinkers (Habermas, Derrida, etc.), and (3) specific themes (aesthetics, language, etc.).
Yusuke Okada
Theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg, in his response to Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Wahrheit und Methode, challenged his hermeneutics by noting the following two things. First, Gadamer discusses the “speculative element” of language, emphasizing “the infinity of what is not said” behind words, and in doing so, according to Pannenberg, disregards the “statement” (Aussage) as a form of language, which enables a sentence to unequivocally designate and describe an objective state of affairs. Although this criticism itself is valid, this is not a problem of “either/or”. The two aspects of language they put forward should be in a reciprocal relationship. Second, Pannenberg argued that Gadamer’s hermeneutics and his concept of a “fusion of horizons” necessarily merge into Pannenberg’s own theological program, namely universal history. Being convinced that history should always include the horizon of the future, this philosopher could not agree to the theologian’s program, perhaps because it presupposes the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as an objective historical fact.
(English Abstract: Yusuke Okada “Gadamer and Pannenberg” in Theological Studies in Japan, vol.56, 2017, pp. 60-81.)
This presentation is mainly based on the following Japanese article.
岡田勇督「松山高吉 ――その生涯と資料調査の現状 ――」『アジア・キリスト教・多元性』2017, 5-14(Yusuke OKADA, Takayoshi MATSUYAMA: His Life and the Situation of Manuscript Research, in Asia Christianity and Diversity)
https://repository.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2433/224804/1/asia15_5.pdf