Kitarō Nishida’s Philosophy of Life

Nishida, who was active from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th, was one of the first generation of Japanese philosophers who attempted to develop an original philosophy under the influence of (and in response to) Western philosophy. In Japan, he has often been interpreted in the context of Eastern thought and Zen Buddhism, as well as in relation to phenomenology (Husserl and Heidegger). This book presents an alternative reading of Nishida, by highlighting the influence of William James, Neo-Kantianism, and Henri Bergson on his thought, and by discerning in his ideas a line of development parallel to that of the mid-20th century philosopher Gilles Deleuze.