The Problem of the Self in the Later Nishida and in Sartre by Brian D. Elwood

The Problem of the Self in the Later Nishida and in Sartre

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Table of Contents

THE PROBLEM OF THE SELF IN THE LATER NISHIDA AND IN SARTRE

Brian D. Elwood

I. Introduction

A curious little monograph titled huzo Kuki and lean-Paul Sartre.
Influence and Counter-Influence in the Early History of Existential Phe-
nomenology was published, in 1987, for the Journal of the History of
Philosophy.¹ In this monograph, Stephen Light reveals that in 1928 the
French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) had weekly discussions
with the Japanese philosopher Kuki Shuzo (1888-1941). It seems that in
1976, a certain Professor Akio Sato discovered a notebook marked "Mon-
sieur Sartre" while cataloging Kuki's papers. Apparently Kuki and the
young Sartre engaged in conversations on the topic of modern French
philosophy. Although it is not clear that Sartre exerted any special influ-
ence on Kuki, it is now evident that it was Kuki who played the crucial
role of introducing Sartre to the thought of both Husserl and Heidegger,
rather than Raymond Aron, as claimed by Simone de Beauvoir in La Force
de l'age.

Professor of Philosophy
at De La Salle University
in Manila

Not only is Light's shrewd detective work significant for the history of
philosophy, it also draws attention to the unusual life and thought of the
Japanese philosopher Kuki. Light's monograph provides a translation of
Kuki's Parisian writings, twelve of which are a comparative analysis of
Japanese and Western philosophy. The subtitle of the monograph, how-
ever, appears somewhat misleading when we consider that there is no
mention of Sartre in Kuki's Parisian writings. This is not surprising, of
course, since Sartre was still unknown as a philosopher at the time Kuki
composed these various essays. In any case, it might be suggested that
Sartre's absence in these writings serves to highlight a largely uncharted
territory in the history of East-West comparative philosophy. Although
some, like William Bossart, have labored to compare Sartre's theory of
consciousness with the Zen doctrine of no-mind, little effort has been
made to analyze Sartre's philosophy in comparison with Japanese philos-
ophy -- for example, with the Kyoto-ha or Kyoto School of philosophy.²

One might expect this to be the case, considering the meager interest
in Sartre among the Japanese intelligentsia. In 1955, Gino Piovesana
observed that Husserlian phenomenology became familiar in Japan after
1921. Later there emerged a special interest in Heidegger and Jaspers. He
suggests that this was due to there being something about these thinkers
that particularly suited the Japanese ethos. Piovesana observes that the
publications of the Kyoto School of philosophy give the impression that
the school, which had earlier been associated with idealism, became a
center of existentialism after the war. However that may be, it is apropos
to note with Piovesana that the esteem which Western existentialists

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Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com

Publication Information: Article Title: The Problem of the Self in the Later Nishida and in Sartre. Contributors: Brian D. Elwood - author. Journal Title: Philosophy East & West. Volume: 44. Issue: 2. Publication Year: 1994. Page Number: 303.

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