An Inquiry into the Good. Part I, Chapter 2–4 / Translation from Japanese, Introductory Article and Commentaries by S. V. Kapranov

Abstract

This publication presents the Ukrainian translation of chapters 2–4 of the first part of the work Zen-no kenkyū (in English translation An Inquiry into the Good) by Nishida Kitaro, a prominent Japanese philosopher of the 20th century, the founder of modern Japanese philosophy. In the above-mentioned chapters 2–4, Nishida continues to develop his theory of pure experience (this concept was introduced and explained in detail in the first chapter). According to Nishida, consciousness emerges from pure experience and unfolds into a complex system that eventually reaches unity again, which is the full realization of pure experience. The second chapter is called “Thinking”. It reveals the concept of thinking and its connection with pure experience. In addition, such concepts as judgment, perception, mental images, truth and error are analyzed. Much attention is paid to the relations between thinking and perceptual experience. In the end, the philosopher comes to the conclusion that thinking and experience are basically identical. The third chapter is called “Will”. In it, the author goes to the concept of will, which is considered both in relation to pure experience and in relation to knowledge; the connection of these concepts with the opposition of the subject and the object is considered. In addition, the issue of free will is touched upon, the concept of transindividual will and a greater system of consciousness, of which the individual’s consciousness is a part, is introduced. The fourth chapter is called “Intellectual Intuition”. By this term Nishida calls the intuition of “ideal things, usually those that go beyond our experience”, he finds examples of it in the work of artists and enlightenment of mystics. Nishida argues that intellectual intuition underlies both thinking and will. The chapter ends with the idea that all religions are based on one fundamental intuition, “true religious awakening”. In these sections, there are numerous references to the works of Western philosophers – Plato, Spinoza, Locke, Hegel, Schelling, Schopehauer, William James, etc. Japanese and Chinese philosophers are not mentioned, but the text contains quotations and allusions to their ideas. The Ukrainian translation is published for the first time.