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Japanese Philosophers on Plato's Ideas
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 May 2023
Abstract
Although Plato studies occupy an important place in academia, the empiricist stance in considering reality, the modern epistemology of the self-identical ego, the devaluation of the image and imagination, and the restrictions on philosophy within academic research sometimes cause us to lose sight of the essence of Plato's texts and thought when analysing them. Discussing Plato from a Japanese perspective, this paper will introduce three Japanese thinkers, Sakabe Megumi, Izutsu Toshihiko, and Ino-ue Tadashi, who have critically examined modern Western philosophy from their own philosophical backgrounds and provided valuable suggestions. Taking into account the arguments of these Japanese thinkers, this paper emphasizes the notions of separation, purification, and transcendence as core concepts of Plato's philosophy.
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- Copyright © The Royal Institute of Philosophy and the contributors 2023
Footnotes
This paper was presented online for The London Lectures 2021: Expanding Horizons, the Royal Institute of Philosophy, 25 November 2021. I thank Julian Baggini for the kind invitation and valuable discussion. The names of the Japanese authors are given in the order of family name first and then given name.
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