Learning Modern Philosophy from a Different Angle: Comparing the Consistent and the Non-Consistent — Modern Philosophy Learned Through a Comparison of Japanese and Western Cultures: Neo-Japonism, Neo-Art Nouveau, and the Qi and Ether Filling the Gaps of Heart, Spirit, and Sensibility — From the Opposition of Logos and Non-Logos

Learning Modern Philosophy from a Different Angle: Comparing the Consistent and the Non-Consistent — Modern Philosophy Learned Through a Comparison of Japanese and Western Cultures: Neo-Japonism, Neo-Art Nouveau, and the Qi and Ether Filling the Gaps of Heart, Spirit, and Sensibility — From the Opposition of Logos and Non-Logos Introduction: A Cinematic Experience and an Entryway to Philosophy The other day, my daughter took me to see the movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The colors of Taisho Romanticism, the invisible power of "Breathing," and the swordsmen fighting against unreasonable demons (Logos-like violence). Since the runtime was long, I found myself immersed in philosophical contemplation. I wondered if that worldview, which we feel is distinctly "Japanese," is made up of the "Signs (Non-Logos)" that fill the gaps of the Western "Construction (Logos)." In learning modern philosophy, the most difficult concept is "Structuralism." Conversely, concepts like "Post-structuralist Relativism" and "Metacognition" are easier to understand as ideas. Ideals like "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" are catchy, but when we try to implement them, system errors (contradictions) inevitably occur. How to deal with these "ineliminable contradictions" is the core of modern philosophy and a theme that connects to the Buddhist concepts of "Emptiness" (Sunyata) and the "Middle Way." In this essay, rather than a standard explanation of Structuralism, I would like to propose a new way of learning modern philosophy through a cultural comparison between Japan and the West, centered on the binary opposition of "Consistent Things (Logos)" and "Non-Consistent Things (Non-Logos)." Chapter 1: Logos-like Things and the Non-Logos-like Things That Fill the Gaps 1. The Perspective of "Vacuum-less Dualism" The world can be roughly divided into two categories: Logos-like Things: Things that have form, are easy to understand, and stand out. They are constructed by words, such as "-isms," "Laws," and "Theories." Non-Logos-like Things: Things that fill the spaces between Logos-like things. A medium that permeates the gaps, called by names such as Atmosphere (Kuuki), Ether, The Way (Tao), or Void. Dividing the world in two like this is the extreme of simplification, but it is very easy to understand. The important point is that the place where there is no Logos is not a "vacuum," but rather "filled" with something Non-Logos-like. 2. Inverting Rubin's Vase Are you familiar with "Rubin's Vase" in Gestalt psychology? When you look at the vase (Figure), you cannot see the faces (Ground), and when you look at the faces, you cannot see the vase. However, with training, you can consciously invert them. Figure (Logos): Politics, Law, Science and Technology, Écriture (written language). Ground (Non-Logos): Emotion, Intuition, the Atmosphere of a place, the surplus of Discours (spoken language). Western modernity is a culture that has thoroughly polished this "Figure (Logos)." On the other hand, Japan has traditionally nurtured the side of the "Ground (Non-Logos)." By inverting this Figure and Ground, a completely different worldview comes into sight. Chapter 2: The Malady of Western Modernity and the Contrast with Japanese Sensibility 1. What it Means to "Lose the Heart" Dostoevsky's novels (Crime and Punishment, Demons, The Brothers Karamazov) are masterpieces depicting the conflict between the modern and the non-modern. Characters like Raskolnikov and Ivan Karamazov, who become possessed by a certain kind of ideology (Logos), lose their humanity and their soft "hearts." This is a universal theme of the modern era that also applies to contemporary politicians and commentators. 2. A Culture that Pushes the Heart vs. A Culture that Suppresses the Heart If we were to express the difference between Japan and the West in one phrase, it would be: Japan: A culture that pushes the heart (welling emotions and intuition). Somewhat natural and unconscious. The West: A culture that suppresses and manages the heart (emotions and affects). Artificial and conscious. This difference goes beyond cultural software and may extend to the level of the brain's hardware (OS, BIOS, or perhaps DNA). In the West (especially in the Protestant tradition), empathizing with objects other than God is forbidden as "idolatry." If one were to empathize with livestock as if they were pets, the livestock industry would not function. This training of "viewing objects materialistically (detaching oneself)" developed Western science and logical thinking (Logocentrism), but at the same time, it turned the gaps of the heart into a vacuum. Chapter 3: An Era Where the Japanese "Heresy" Becomes Mainstream 1. From Periphery to Orthodoxy The "Japanese-ness" that has been treated as "other in general" or "non-rational." However, just as it is convenient in mathematics to divide cases into "A" and "Not-A," this category of "Other (Non-Logos)" is a vast territory that can encompass everything other than Logos. Just as Christianity, which was once a heresy in the Roman Empire, became orthodox, or as Pure Land Buddhism, which was a heresy in traditional Japanese Buddhism, became the largest sect, history shows phenomena where what was on the "Periphery" inverts to become "Orthodoxy." 2. Why the World is Accepting Japan A global Japan boom is happening now. This is not mere exoticism. It is because people in the Western cultural sphere are feeling the limits of their own "Logocentrism (Materialism)" and are beginning to resonate with the Non-Logos values that Japanese people have cherished, such as "Field (Ba)," "Signs/Presence (Kehai)," and "Empathy" — a Neo-Japonism or Neo-Art Nouveau. In "Quantum Field Theory" in physics, elementary particles (Logos) are born from the Field (Non-Logos) and return to the Field. The Field is the essence and the Matrix. The world has begun to realize that the "Field (Heart/Peace of Mind)," which was thought to be infinite and free like air and water, is actually scarce and important. 3. Changes in Japanese People and a New Fusion On the other hand, Japanese people themselves are changing. Amidst high economic growth, the bursting of the bubble, and the wave of neoliberalism, the traditional Japanese sentiment has faded, and more people have acquired Western rationality (a psychopathic pragmatism). However, precisely because of this, paradoxically, "Otaku culture" and "Oshi-katsu" (fandom activities supporting one's favorite) — a "bottomless swamp of passion" that transcends monetary rationality — are becoming generalized. This can be seen as a result of Japan and the West approaching each other, lowering the mental barriers between them. In the modern age, which has reached a dead end by trying to construct the world solely with "Logos (Consistent Things)," adopting the Japanese "Non-Logos (Harmony containing contradictions)" is crucial. Using modern philosophy as a "practical tool" in this way may be the key to surviving this complex world.