Social Ontology within Japanese Philosophy: The multitude and the masses in the philosophies of Tsuchida Kyouson and Tosaka Jun

• Project/Area Number: 24K15884
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 01010:Philosophy and ethics-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: WIRTZ Fernando・Gustavo 京都大学, 文学研究科, 助教 (40965729)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2027-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
• Keywords: Tosaka Jun / Tsuchida Kyoson / Kyoto School / Social Ontology / Mass

Outline of Research at the Start

The purpose of this study is to investigate the semantic field of the concept of mass and other collective subjects (crowd, multitude, people, etc.) in Tsuchida Kyoson’s and Tosaka Jun’s philosophy. To do so, I focus especially on the time span between 1921 (the year of the publication of Tsuchidaa’s 『文化主義原論』) and 1945 (the year of Tosaka’s death). My goal is to argue for a social ontology that moves beyond the traditional understanding of individual vs society to understand the formation of collective subjects in a more accurate way using the tools of Japanese philosophy.