Contemporary Japanese Philosophy - by John W M Krummel (Paperback)

About the Book

This important volume introduces the reader to a variety of schools of thought. Ideal for classroom use, this is the ultimate resource for students and teachers of Japanese philosophy.

Book Synopsis

This important volume introduces the reader to a variety of schools of thought. Ideal for classroom use, this is the ultimate resource for students and teachers of Japanese philosophy.

Review Quotes

The volume is a valuable contribution to the expansion of dialogue on the ways in which contemporary East Asian reflection can provide a new impetus to reinvigorating theoretical discussions in academia and beyond.

This collection presents eloquent translations of essays by ten leading contemporary philosophers rarely considered together, and allows us to engage a broad range of recent philosophical activity in Japan. Its comprehensive introduction offers clear entry to the entire field as well as to each represented thinker, and three more essays survey feminist thought, the postwar Kyoto School, and other philosophical trends.

A leading scholar from a new generation specializing in the booming field of Japanese philosophy, John Krummel has assembled an outstanding collection of essays by contemporary philosophers. Although all are admired in Japan as among their country's most seminal thinkers, until now many have been less known to the West because of the paucity of their writings in translation.

Among the growing body of literature on Japanese philosophy, this anthology is an important addition which gives a voice to less-studied authors who deserve attention. John Krummel's excellent translations make these authors intelligible for a wider audience. As this collection shows, Japanese philosophy is richer and more complex than Kyôto School philosophy.

Japanese philosophy currently occupies an important place in world philosophy. This book introduces texts written in the second half of the 20th century, thus closing a very important gap in Western literature. Contemporary Japanese Philosophy is an essential source for understanding philosophical tendencies in the last 50 years in Japan.

Krummel has made available the translations of ten original thinkers and three leading scholars from the discipline of contemporary Japanese philosophy. His translation demonstrates tremendous judicious fairness to each original work such that readers should be able to feel the stylistic differences of the authors. This polyvocal book has laid a foundation for future research projects in relation to the works of these Japanese philosophers.

About the Author

John W.M. Krummel is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He is Assistant Editor of the Journal of Japanese Philosophy, Editor of Social Imaginaries and President of the International Association of Japanese Philosophy.