Watsuji Tetsurô’s Global Ethics of Emptiness

A Contemporary Look at a Modern Japanese Philosopher

Anton Luis Sevilla

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9783319583525
• eBook ISBN:
  9783319583532
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Political Philosophy
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book is a rethinking of ethics and socio-political life through the ideas of Watsuji Tetsurô. Can we build a systematic philosophy of morality, society, and politics, not on the basis of identity and ego, but rather on the basis of selflessness? This book explores such an attempt by the leading ethicist of modern Japan. Using concrete examples and contemporary comparisons, and with careful reference to both English and Japanese sources, it guides the reader through Watsuji's ideas. It engages three contemporary issues in depth: First, how do we approach the moral agent, as an autonomous being or as a fundamentally relational being? Second, is it the individual or the community that is the starting point for politics? And finally, is ethics something that is globally shared or something fundamentally local? This book aims to be an informative and inspiring resource for researchers, students, and laypersons interested in Buddhist thought.

Table of contents

• Preface
• Contents
• List of Figures
• Notes to the Reader
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 The Ethical System of Watsuji Tetsurô
• Chapter 2 Relationality vs. Singularity: Between Care Ethics and Poststructuralism
• Chapter 3 Individuality vs. Community: Confronting the Liberal-Communitarian Debates
• Chapter 4 Universality vs. Particularity: Local Ethics in a Global World
• Chapter 5 Ethics of Emptiness: The Road from Buddhism to Aidagara
• General Conclusion
• Glossary of Key Translations
• References
• Index