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Watsuji Tetsurô’s Global Ethics of Emptiness

A Contemporary Look at a Modern Japanese Philosopher

Palgrave Macmillan
  • The first book to introduce Watsuji in English
  • Offers a stepping stone for any English speaker wanting to understand Japanese ethics
  • Includes extensive coverage of books that are yet to be translated in to English
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Global Political Thinkers (GPT)

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eBook USD 139.00
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Softcover Book USD 179.99
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Table of contents (5 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxxiii
  2. The Ethical System of Watsuji Tetsurô

    • Anton Luis Sevilla
    Pages 1-37
  3. Back Matter

    Pages 227-258

About this book

This book is a rethinking of ethics and socio-political life through the ideas of Watsuji Tetsurô. Can we build a systematic philosophy of morality, society, and politics, not on the basis of identity and ego, but rather on the basis of selflessness? This book explores such an attempt by the leading ethicist of modern Japan. Using concrete examples and contemporary comparisons, and with careful reference to both English and Japanese sources, it guides the reader through Watsuji’s ideas. It engages three contemporary issues in depth: First, how do we approach the moral agent, as an autonomous being or as a fundamentally relational being? Second, is it the individual or the community that is the starting point for politics? And finally, is ethics something that is globally shared or something fundamentally local? This book aims to be an informative and inspiring resource for researchers, students, and laypersons interested in Buddhist thought.

Reviews

“Watsuji Tetsurō’s Global Ethics of Emptiness, offers a lucidly written, and welcome addition, to the growing literature on Watsuji Tetsurō. The content of Sevilla’s book is applicable and beneficial to all levels, from Watsuji scholars, to those who lack any prior knowledge.” (Kyle Michael James Shuttleworth, European Journal of Japanese Philosophy, Vol. 3, 2018)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Faculty of Arts and Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Anton Luis Sevilla

About the author

Anton Luis Sevilla is a full-time instructor at the Faculty of Arts and Science, and the Graduate School of Education at Kyushu University, Japan. He teaches and conducts research on Japanese philosophy and ethics of education. He is the translator of Sueki Fumihiko’s Religion and Ethics at Odds: A Buddhist Counter-Position and has numerous publications on the Kyoto School of Philosophy in Journal of Religious Ethics, Journal of Philosophy of Education, and Asian Philosophy.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Watsuji Tetsurô’s Global Ethics of Emptiness

  • Book Subtitle: A Contemporary Look at a Modern Japanese Philosopher

  • Authors: Anton Luis Sevilla

  • Series Title: Global Political Thinkers

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58353-2

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-58352-5Published: 11 September 2017

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-86385-6Published: 10 August 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-58353-2Published: 31 August 2017

  • Series ISSN: 2946-3874

  • Series E-ISSN: 2946-3882

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXXIII, 258

  • Number of Illustrations: 8 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Asian Politics, Political Philosophy

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access