Japan’s philosophy research
In the first half of the twentieth century, Kyoto University was home to many prominent philosophers, including Kitarō Nishida and Hajime Tanabe, forming a philosophical group known as the Kyoto School. While grounded in Western thought, the school incorporated Eastern ideas, earning international recognition as Japan’s first original philosophical movement. In recent years, the school’s non-Western and original approach has attracted renewed attention and acclaim.
Why did this kind of philosophy emerge at KyotoU? Since its founding, the university has adopted a German-style research-centered approach, creating an environment that treats students as independent researchers. This culture of respecting independent thinking became the foundation for developing unique philosophical perspectives and forming a “school” where students inherited and advanced this knowledge.
Kyoto University’s philosophy has influenced other academic fields. Its impact can be seen in the theories of Kinji Imanishi, an ecologist and founder of primatology, and in the fundamental thinking of physicist Hideki Yukawa, who eagerly attended Nishida’s philosophy lectures as a student.
In our rapidly changing era, where long-established values and standards are being shaken, philosophy’s importance continues to grow. In the century since the founding of the Kyoto School, KyotoU’s philosophers have contemplated many real-world issues. Their thinking has expanded into fields like philosophy of science and bioethics, continuing to provide guidance for humanity to build a sustainable society and future.