The Crisis of Japanese Identity in the 21st Century and Watsuji Tetsurō's Ethics

Abstrakt

According to some thinkers, in the 21st century, the Japanese society is facing a crisis of values. The postmodern approach to the individual and society may be one of the causes of this problem.

In this point of view, an inadequate grasp of the relationship between the individual and the society seems to play an important role. The problem of this relationship was elaborated by the early 20th century philosopher Watsuji Tetsurō who endeavoured to re-define the role of an individual in the society.

This paper attempts to examine the contemporary problem of Japanese identity from the perspective of Watsuji's conception of interpersonal relationships.

Klíčová slova

• ethics in Japan
• contemporary Japanese society
• individual and society
• emptiness, betweenness