What is modern Japanese philosophy? Starting around the second half of the 19th century, Japan developed a modern philosophical tradition that creatively deals with a multitude of ancient and modern questions and traditions of philosophy. For the first time, this volume – a cooperation between Japanese and German philosophers – introduces the Western reader to the richness and diversity of modern Japanese philosophy. Overview articles present the whole range of different philosophical movements that emerged in Japan from the Meiji period until today. More focussed contributions portray on-going discussions about social philosophy, environmental ethics, and the philosophy of the body, thereby illustrating the thorough treatment of philosophical problems in contemporary Japan. Finally, the volume raises the more general question what philosophy is and depicts the intense debate about this question by modern Japanese philosophers. The volume thus fills one of the many blind spots of philosophical research in the West that still very often neglects all non-Western philosophical discourses.
