The Middle Path and Pure Experience: A Re-Evaluation of the “Beginning” of Modern Japanese Philosophy

Abstract

Nishida Kitarō’s (1870–1945) theory of pure experience outlined in An Inquiry into the Good is often uncritically accepted as the beginning of philosophy in modern Japan. While there may be good reason to accept this narrative, it is crucial that we do not do so uncritically. To the contrary, recognizing that Nishida was one philosopher among many and that his work was partially shaped by preceding philosophers in the Meiji era (1868–1912) can help us gain both a deeper understanding of both Nishida’s own thought as well as the developmental process of philosophy in modern Japan. Thus, in this contribution I would like to take one small step towards reconsidering this commonplace narrative by looking at how the thought of one central philosopher of the Meiji era, Inoue Enryō (1858–1919), helped set the stage for Nishida’s early philosophy.