Anttoni E.A Kuusela

One central theme in the philosophy of Nishitani Keiji is the problem of modernity which Nishitani treated concurrently with the problem of alienation in the middle period of his career. However, the latter topic in Nishitani’s philosophy is unexplored in current research—a situation the present paper aims to remedy. The paper will, firstly, examine Nishitani’s understanding of alienation and how it is connected to the problem of modernity. Secondly, the paper aims to clarify the relation of the concept of alienation to other key ideas of Nishitani’s philosophy, which normally are at the forefront of Nishitani scholarship. A particular attempt is made to show the similarities between Nishitani’s understanding of alienation and the field of consciousness. In addition, the connection between alienation and the concept of I-thou relation and the connection between alienation and Nishitani’s critique of scientific rationalism will be examined.

In our everyday life, music is taken as an object – an object that is helpful in one sense or the other: Music can help alleviate sadness, lift the mood if life seems a bit dull, or enhance an already great atmosphere. In other words, music is often approached as an instrument of so-called affective scaffolding. Yet music is more than an instrument which can be used to gain desired affective states. In the present paper, the possibility of an experience of listening without a listener is examined – that is, an experience where music is not separated from one’s self into an instrument, into an external object. The analysis of listening without a listener carried out here will be based on Nishitani Keiji’s philosophy of emptiness. Additionally, I will critically employ the concept of affective scaffolding and elaborate the possibility of listening without a listener in relation to this concept. The aim of this paper is to show that there are hidden depths in our relation to music, which are obscured by taking music as an object and by approaching it instrumentally. Further, it will be argued that by illuminating these hidden depths we can, moreover, understand ourselves more deeply, to reveal the empty nature of our selves.

In this article, we study the educational views of two philosophers from two different intellectual traditions: those of the East and West. We aim to explore comparative philosophy, a method intrinsic to the Kyoto School, as a practice, using it to engage the ideas of Nishitani Keiji and Jacques Rancière in dialogue. This dialogue takes place between Nishitani’s concept of emptiness and Rancière’s concept of equality. Taking inspiration from what Anton Luis Sevilla has termed ‘negative education’, we propose an alternative philosophy of education: empty education. To develop our new concept, we examine the importance of emptiness and equality in education, focusing on the fruitful and emancipatory encounters they promote. We contend that a reciprocal relationship between the I and the Thou is essential for bypassing the unequal relations and stultifying processes found in education.

In our everyday life, music is taken as an object – an object that is helpful in one sense or the other: Music can help alleviate sadness, lift the mood if life seems a bit dull, or enhance an already great atmosphere. In other words, music is often approached as an instrument of so-called affective scaffolding. Yet music is more than an instrument which can be used to gain desired affective states. In the present paper, the possibility of an experience of listening without a listener is examined – that is, an experience where music is not separated from one’s self into an instrument, into an external object. The analysis of listening without a listener carried out here will be based on Nishitani Keiji’s philosophy of emptiness. Additionally, I will critically employ the concept of affective scaffolding and elaborate the possibility of listening without a listener in relation to this concept. The aim of this paper is to show that there are hidden depths in our relation to music, which are obscured by taking music as an object and by approaching it instrumentally. Further, it will be argued that by illuminating these hidden depths we can, moreover, understand ourselves more deeply, to reveal the empty nature of our selves.