Edward McDougall - Transforming Nihilism: A Dialogue between Martin Heidegger and Keiji Nishitani
Channel: European Network of Japanese Philosophy
Date: 2019-04-14

ENOJP4 Hildesheim 2018
Panel 4: Nishitani and Heidegger

Transforming Nihilism: A Dialogue between Martin Heidegger and Keiji Nishitani
Edward McDougall (University of Durham, UK)

Abstract: Despite their personal encounter, Nishitani is never directly referred to by Heidegger in his “A Dialogue on Language between a Japanese and an Inquirer.” Neither does Nishitani’s discussion on Heidegger’s thought consider Heidegger’s later work, which notably directly focuses on Japanese thought. Although later Heidegger and Nishitani have different focuses, this paper aims to demonstrate that their thoughts are indeed profoundly connected through the way they treat nihilism (i.e. a result from the European metaphysical tradition and is, to Nishitani’s understanding, brought to Japan by Europeanisation). This aim will be achieved by the comparison of Heidegger’s “A Dialogue on Language between a Japanese and an Inquirer” and Nishitani’s Religion and Nothingness as well as The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism. First, this paper will address (1) Heidegger’s “turn” (“Kehre”) and (2) Nishitani’s interpretation of the “great doubt” (Religion and Nothingness). With (1), later Heidegger both undermines the western notions of supreme being associated with onto-theology and moves away from any residual humanism. For (2), Nishitani affirms the nihility of both subject and object, taking duality back to their own homeground of existence. Based on this second assertion, this paper will justify that the later Heidegger and Nishitani are on the same trajectory as they both reject any transcendent high other as a foundation of western religion and metaphysics. They both have moved beyond what Nietzsche calls “the death of God”, or nihilism, by stepping outside of the metaphysical dichotomy between atheism and classical theism. Third, this paper will consider Heidegger’s “A Dialogue on Language between a Japanese and an Inquirer” as the most extensive example of what Nishitani calls the “self-criticism of the Europeans” (The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism). Following (1), in his “Dialogue”, Heidegger recovers an immanent understanding of the sacred in the Japanese world and has made challenging Europeanisation the crucial concern. This ties in with Nishitani’s notion of “returning to our forgotten selves” (The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism), which stands for his rejection of articulating Japanese thought through European metaphysics: In other words, his remedy for Europeanisation and nihilism. In this way, both Nishitani and later Heidegger have taken up the task of reflecting on the nature of Japanese philosophy as a means to challenge the hegemony of Europeanisation. From this, this paper will conclude by suggesting that Heidegger’s and Nishitani’s works would benefit from being read together as they share a common project to transform nihilism by radically challenging Europeanisation, providing the possibility of a new beginning.

This talk took place at the forth annual conference of the European Network of Japanese Philosophy [ENOJP], 5 – 8 September 2018, Universität Hildesheim, Kulturcampus Domäne Marienburg, Germany.

More informations:
http://enojp.org/
http://chisokudopublications.blogspot.com/
https://enojp4.wordpress.com/

Art Direction: Robin Alberding & Jerome Ebeling (CC-BY 3.0)