Abstract
This paper discusses the thought of Fukuzawa Yukichi, probably the most influential Japanese intellectual of the late nineteenth century, with particular reference to his attempt to develop a theory of civilization. For him, the civilizational approach was a framework for reflection on Japan’s situation in the world after the great changes of the 1850s and 1860s. He saw the preservation of national independence and the reform of Japanese society as primary goals, but they necessitated extensive learning from the experience and achievements of more advanced societies, especially those of Western Europe and the United States. However, he did not advocate a purely imitative Westernization. Japan’s distinctive identity and autonomous international stance were to be maintained. To clarify the reasons for transforming Japan in light of Western models without capitulating to them, he outlined an evolutionary conception of social change, understood in terms of an advance towards civilization. That kind of progress was not only a matter of technical and organizational development; it also involved the mobilization of whole peoples. On this basis, Fukuzawa articulated a more democratic vision of Japan’s future than the road subsequently taken by the Meiji government.
Highlights
This paper discusses the thought of Fukuzawa Yukichi, probably the most influential Japanese intellectual of the late nineteenth century, with particular reference to his attempt to develop a theory of civilization
The work in question articulated a comparative perspective on Japan and the West, as well as a long-term historical analysis of his compatriots’ understanding of their own society and some suggestions for a better grasp; it was, to put it another way, both a diagnosis of the times and a programme for Japan’s future course
The Chinese scholar Ou Jianying, who teaches in Japan and has translated Maruyama Masao’s texts on Fukuzawa into Chinese, summarizes this aspect of Fukuzawa’s work as follows: For him, the progress of material civilization, supported by the policies of the Meiji government – the growth of industry and trade, the increase in national wealth, and the military buildup – was important, but non-material civilizing was more fundamental
Summary
This paper discusses the thought of Fukuzawa Yukichi, probably the most influential Japanese intellectual of the late nineteenth century, with particular reference to his attempt to develop a theory of civilization. The civilizational approach was a framework for reflection on Japan’s situation in the world after the great changes of the 1850s and 1860s He saw the preservation of national independence and the reform of Japanese society as primary goals, but they necessitated extensive learning from the experience and achievements of more advanced societies, especially those of Western Europe and the United States. The work in question articulated a comparative perspective on Japan and the West (primarily Western Europe, but with some references to the United States), as well as a long-term historical analysis of his compatriots’ understanding of their own society and some suggestions for a better grasp; it was, to put it another way, both a diagnosis of the times and a programme for Japan’s future course. Not draw only on subsequent historical and sociological research, foreign and domestic, and on accompanying analyses and policy proposals by actors and observers of the transformative process
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