Engaging Japanese Philosophy: A Short History. By Thomas Kasulis. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2017. 784 pages. Paperback: ISBN-13: 978-0-8248-6979-3.
摘要
Thomas Kasulis has authored another magnificent text on Japanese philosophy for Anglophone scholars and students, one which is surely to become a classic “must-read” in the field. His Zen Action / Zen Person may be one of the best books for introducing the Zen perspective to the Western student, and his Shinto: The Way Home 2 is certainly an eloquent philosophical exposition of Shintō 神道 tradition and thought. His recently published Engaging Japanese Philosophy: A Short History, as the title suggests, invites the Western reader to engage Japanese philosophy through a detailed discussion of its thinkers, ideas, and history. The text provides a suitable introduction to the various facets of Japanese philosophy—its many trends and movements—throughout the ages. A full 784 pages, despite its subtitle (“A Short History”), it comprises detailed analyses of individual thinkers and schools of thought, and in addition to discussing their key concepts, also covers the historical and cultural contexts that engendered those ideas. Any reader familiar with Kasulis’s other works will not be disappointed, and the novice will surely appreciate his pedagogically effective and engaging style of writing. His writing provides ample concrete examples, as well as personal and real-life anecdotes, which many will be able to relate to, thereby making philosophical concepts come alive. He also provides diagrams to explain otherwise difficult-to-understand ideas. The book is quite broad in content, covering both premodern thought and modern and contemporary academic philosophy and related fields, and is suitable for both the beginner and advanced scholar. From undergraduate students, graduate students, and lay philosophers to seasoned scholars, readers of various stripes will find the book of interest as it serves both as an introductory text on the subject but also provides deep analyses and discussions on philosophical subjects, authors, concepts, and schools of thought. Besides philosophy, it crosses over into the fields of history, intellectual history, and Japanese studies. As the author states in his preface, the book is for those who want “to explore Japanese philosophy as an alternative or complement to western philosophy” as well as those interested in “Japanese culture, thought, and history” ( p. 1). It is also for those who may be unfamiliar with, but interested in, Japan or Japanese culture. Scholars of philosophy unfamiliar with Japanese philosophy can also appreciate the discussion of the culture and history of Japan, for the work provides a necessary background for understanding the philosophies. In the following review, I will begin by spelling out the impressions that came to me while reading through the book. I will follow this both with a discussion of what I take to be the author’s main thesis in his reading of Japanese philosophy, as well as with questions the book raised for me. I will also include a discussion of what I think are its weaknesses, though these are far outweighed by the volume’s strengths.
