Skip to main content
Log in

Nishida Kitarō’s Philosophy of Body

  • Published:
Dao Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, I shall discuss Nishida’s 西田 philosophy of body from the aspects of acting intuition, rhythm, and situatedness. Pure experience used to be the starting point of Nishida’s early philosophy. In his later philosophy, however, the keyword in Nishida’s philosophy is no longer “experience” but “acting.” It is neither “I think therefore I am” nor “I will therefore I am,” but “I act therefore I am.” As the organ of acting intuition, body is one of the most important philosophical concepts in Nishida’s later philosophy. I shall interpret the philosophy of acting intuition as a phenomenology of rhythm. Also, I shall argue that acting intuition can be understood as a situated action. For Nishida, our body is historical: I am not a knowing body, but an acting body.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • de Bary, W. Theodore, ed. 1960. Sources of Chinese Tradition, 2 vols. New York: Columbia University Press.

  • Carter, Robert Edgar. 1997. The Nothingness beyond God: an Introduction to the Philosophy of N ishida Kitarō. St. Paul: Paragon House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Embree, Lester, et al., eds. 1997. Encyclopedia of Phenomenology. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Pub.

  • Heidegger, Martin. 1977. Sein und Zeit. Gesamtausgebe Bd. 2. Frankfurt am Main: V. Klostermann.

  • ____. 1983. Die Grundbegriffe der Metaphysik. Gesamtausgebe Bd. 2. Frankfurt am Main: V. Klostermann.

  • Herrigel, Eugen. 1953. Zen in the Art of Archery. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Husserl, Edmund. 1950. Cartesianishe Meditationen und Pariser Vorträge. Husserliana Bd. 1. Haag: Martinus Nijhoff.

  • Kimura, Bin 木村敏. 2000. Psychopathology of Contingency 偶然性の精神病理. Tokyo 東京: Iwanami Shoten 岩波書店.

  • Klages, Ludwig. 1934. Vom Wesen des Rhythmus. Kampen auf Sylt: Niels Kampmann Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lave, Jean, and Etienne Wenger. 1991. Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Miyazaki, Satoshi 宮崎里司. 2001. Why Foreign Sumo Wrestlers Speak Good Japanese? 外国人力士はなぜ日本語がうまいのか. Tokyo 東京: Nihongo Kenkyūsho 日本語研究所.

  • Nakai, Masakazu 中井正一. 1981. Collected Works of Nakai Masakazu 中井正一全集, vol. 2. Tokyo 東京: Bijutsu Shuppansha 美術出版社.

  • Nakamura, Yujirō 中村雄二郎. 1991. Odyssey of Form かたちのオディッセイ. Tokyo 東京: Iwanami Shoten 岩波書店.

  • Nakasato, Hitoshi 中里均. 1983. “Somatic Sensation and Rhythm 身体感覚とリズム.” In Iwanami Lectures, vol. 4: Science of the Mind 岩波講座 (4) : 精神の科学, edited by Iida Shin 飯田真 et al. Tokyo 東京: Iwanami Shoten 岩波書店.

  • Naoe, Kiyotaka 直江清隆. 2005. “The Act ‘According to’ Situation 状況に〈しかるべく〉応じた行為.” In Tōyō University Philosophy Lectures 東洋大学哲学講座, vol. 3, edited by Department of Philosophy, Tōyō University 東洋大学哲学科. Tokyo 東京: Chisen Shokan 知泉書館.

  • Nishida, Kitarō 西田幾多郎. 1958. “The Problem of Japanese Culture.” In Sources of Japanese Tradition, vol. 2, edited by Tsunoda Ryusaku, Wm. Theodore de Bary, and Donald Keene. New York: Columbia University Press.

  • ____. 1965–1966. Complete Works of N ishida Kitarō 西田幾多郎全集, 19 vols. Tokyo 東京: Iwanami Shoten 岩波書店.

  • ____. 1990. An Inquiry into the Good. Trans. by Abe Masao and Christopher Ives. New Haven: Yale University Press.

  • ____. 2002. “My Philosophical Path.” In Yusa Michiko, Zen and Philosophy: An Intellectual Biography of N ishida Kitarō. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

  • Noe, Keiichi 野家啓一. 1994. “The ‘Non-Cartesian Subject’ in Japanese Philosophy.” Discourse Social / Social Discourse 6.1–2: 79–87.

  • Ōhashi, Ryōsuke 大橋良介. 1995. The World of Nishida’s Philosophy 西田哲学の世界. Tokyo東京: Chikumashobō 筑摩書房.

  • Polanyi, Michael. 1966. The Tacit Dimension. New York: Doubleday and Co.

  • Scheler, Max. 1961. Ressentiment. Trans. by William W. Hildheim. New York: The Free Press.

  • ____. 1966. Der Formalismus in der Ethik und die materiale Wertethik. Gesammelte Werke Bd. 2. Bern-München: Francke Verlag.

  • ____. 1972. Vom Umsturz der Werte. Gesammelte Werke Bd. 3. Bern-München: Francke Verlag.

  • Shimomura, Toratarō 下村寅太郎. 1990. Nishida’s Philosophy and Japanese Thought 西田哲学と日本の思想, vol. 12 of Works of S himomura Toratarō 下村寅太郎著作集. Tokyo 東京: Misuzushobō みすず書房.

  • Sonnenschein, E. A. 1925. What Is Rhythm? Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suchman, Lucy. 1987. Plans and Situated Actions: The Problem of Human-Machine Communication. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, Rur-bin 楊儒賓. 1996. Views of Body in Confucianism 儒家身體觀. Taipei 台北: Zhongyang Yanjiuyuan Zhongguo Wen-Zhe Yanjiusuo 中央研究院中國文哲研究所.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ching-yuen Cheung.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Cheung, Cy. Nishida Kitarō’s Philosophy of Body. Dao 13, 507–523 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-014-9400-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-014-9400-3

Keywords

Navigation