Nishidian Philosophy and the Body: Unravelling the Difficulty of Living

An English translation of Itabashi Yu jin’s reading of Nishida Kitaro’s philosophy of the body that connects to problems in everyday life.

Using the major Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro as a guide, Itabashi Yu jin thinks through what it means to be and have a tensed-up body under conditions of societal control, be it during the pandemic or due to certain aesthetic regimes that declare what an optimal body should be.

Yu jin unravels the bodily tensing response to such conditions. He lays bare that tension and thinks about how one can come to terms with living in a body under conditions of difficulty. This systematic exploration into how aspects of Nishidian philosophy, including the relationship between the self and the other, is set in relation to being embodied in a certain time and place. Yu jin delves into the role of the body in the early work of philosopher Kitaro without neglecting important developments in the late philosophy of Nishida himself and beyond.

By reflecting on the difficulty of living well, Yu jin offers a fresh interpretation of Nishida and a timely investigation of the role of the body in modern Japanese society. This exploration of the relationship between the self and the world reveals the lasting impact of Nishida’s philosophy.

Itabashi Yu¯jin is Professor of Philosophy at Rissho¯ University, Japan. He currently serves as the director of the Nishidian Philosophical Society, is a member of the board of directors of the Nishida Philosophy Association, the Japan Schopenhauer Association, and the Japan Society for Whiteheadean Process Studies.

Takeshi Morisato is Lecturer of Non-Western philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, UK. He currently serves as the Editor of the European Journal of Japanese Philosophy (EJJP) and an Associate Editor of the Journal of East Asian Philosophy (Springer).

Cody Staton is Assistant Professor of History and Philosophy at Kennesaw State University, USA.