An Analysis of the Kyoto School of Philosophy's Theory of Human Relationships and Its Applications

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H06459
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Philosophy/Ethics
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Sevilla Anton 九州大学, 基幹教育院, 講師 (50754438)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-08-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 人間関係 / 教育哲学 / 応用哲学 / 京都学派

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research explored the philosophy of human relationships found in the Kyoto School of Philosophy. The Kyoto School and peripheral thinkers like Watsuji Tetsuro share a "relational philosophy of nothingness," where relationships are based not on the self-interest of egos but on mutual emptying and transformation. This relational philosophy can be communitarian, or it can be universal-mystical. Furthermore, the universal-mystical type can have differing views on individual uniqueness and alterity.
All these relational philosophies can contribute to western theories such as postmodernism, post-structuralism, and philosophy of education. Furthermore, these ideas change the way we think about educative relationships (parent-child, teacher-student, counselor-client), and can therefore be very practical.

Free Research Field

倫理学、教育哲学