Miki Kiyoshi
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese philosopher.
. He studied philosophy
under Nishida Kitarō
and Tanabe Hajime at the Kyoto Imperial university
. Later he went to Germany
, to study the work of Martin Heidegger
, Blaise Pascal
, Søren Kierkegaard
and Friedrich Nietzsche
. Upon his return to Japan, his outspokenness and outgoing lifestyle, coupled with a controversial affair with an older woman, led to his being denied an academic position at Kyoto. Further trouble engulfed him when he lent money to a friend who used it, unbeknown to Miki, to contribute to the Communist Party of Japan. Miki was then implicated in this development (the far-left movements were being cracked down upon, and such donations were illegal) and after brief imprisonment lost any chance of regaining decent academic standing. While he remained in touch with his mentor, Nishida, and other members of the Kyoto School
, he worked outside of academia proper, producing popular writings aimed at a wide audience.
Miki believed that philosophy should be pragmatic and utilized in addressing concrete social and political problems. He wrote articles for the Yomiuri Shimbun
newspaper, providing commentary on issues of the day. His firm belief that philosophy should lead politics encouraged the political activism of intellectuals, and when he was offered in 1937 the opportunity to head up the cultural section of the Showa Kenkyu Kai (Showa Research Association), a think tank
concerned with building an intellectual basis for Prince Konoe Fumimaro's Shintaisei (New Order Movement), he eagerly accepted. While he formulated the concept of the "Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere," he was infuriated when the Imperial Japanese Army
employed it in justifying its aggressive expansion in China
and Southeast Asia
. Following the collapse of the Showa Kenkyu Kai, and in an environment of the militarization of society
and intensifying warfare abroad, Miki became depressed and isolated. After helping a friend on the run from the authorities, he was imprisoned. Miki died in prison on September 26, 1945. His death, at a time when the US Occupation of Japan
was already underway, deeply upset Japanese intellectuals. Miki's complete works are available from Iwanami Shoten.
In Shoji Muramoto's psychological article "Historical Reflections for the International Development of Japanese Humanistic Psychology.", Kiyoshi is credited as a "central figure in the Japanese humanistic movement" because of his authoring of "the first book explicitly related to the existentialist tradition written by a Japanese thinker": "Studies of Human Being in Pascal" (1926).
individualism
, reaching back to Saint Augustine and being fundamentally anti-Greek in character. As such, his reading of Heidegger falls with the broad class as Jean-Paul Sartre
, in that it ignores the priority Heidegger gives to the ontological question of Being, in favor of seeing Heidegger's philosophy as an analysis of human existence.
He became a Marxist
in 1925, and preceded Sartre in suggesting a synthesis of Marxism
and existentialism
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese philosopher.
Biography
Miki was a native of what is now part of Tatsuno, HyōgoTatsuno, Hyogo
is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.As of April 30, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 81,087, with a household number of 29,212 and a population density of 384.43 persons per km². The total area is 210.93 km².-History:...
. He studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
under Nishida Kitarō
Nishida Kitaro
was a prominent Japanese philosopher, founder of what has been called the Kyoto School of philosophy. He graduated from The University of Tokyo during the Meiji period in 1894 with a degree in philosophy. He was named professor of the Fourth High School in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1899 and later...
and Tanabe Hajime at the Kyoto Imperial university
Kyoto University
, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
. Later he went to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, to study the work of Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
, Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal , was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen...
, Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel...
and Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
. Upon his return to Japan, his outspokenness and outgoing lifestyle, coupled with a controversial affair with an older woman, led to his being denied an academic position at Kyoto. Further trouble engulfed him when he lent money to a friend who used it, unbeknown to Miki, to contribute to the Communist Party of Japan. Miki was then implicated in this development (the far-left movements were being cracked down upon, and such donations were illegal) and after brief imprisonment lost any chance of regaining decent academic standing. While he remained in touch with his mentor, Nishida, and other members of the Kyoto School
Kyoto School
The Kyoto School is the name given to the Japanese "philosophical movement centered at Kyoto University that assimilated western philosophy and religious ideas and used them to reformulate religious and moral insights unique to the East Asian cultural tradition." However, it is also used to...
, he worked outside of academia proper, producing popular writings aimed at a wide audience.
Miki believed that philosophy should be pragmatic and utilized in addressing concrete social and political problems. He wrote articles for the Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
newspaper, providing commentary on issues of the day. His firm belief that philosophy should lead politics encouraged the political activism of intellectuals, and when he was offered in 1937 the opportunity to head up the cultural section of the Showa Kenkyu Kai (Showa Research Association), a think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
concerned with building an intellectual basis for Prince Konoe Fumimaro's Shintaisei (New Order Movement), he eagerly accepted. While he formulated the concept of the "Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere," he was infuriated when the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
employed it in justifying its aggressive expansion in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. Following the collapse of the Showa Kenkyu Kai, and in an environment of the militarization of society
Japanese militarism
refers to the ideology in the Empire of Japan that militarism should dominate the political and social life of the nation, and that the strength of the military is equal to the strength of a nation.-Rise of militarism :...
and intensifying warfare abroad, Miki became depressed and isolated. After helping a friend on the run from the authorities, he was imprisoned. Miki died in prison on September 26, 1945. His death, at a time when the US Occupation of Japan
Occupied Japan
At the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers, led by the United States with contributions also from Australia, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This foreign presence marked the first time in its history that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power...
was already underway, deeply upset Japanese intellectuals. Miki's complete works are available from Iwanami Shoten.
In Shoji Muramoto's psychological article "Historical Reflections for the International Development of Japanese Humanistic Psychology.", Kiyoshi is credited as a "central figure in the Japanese humanistic movement" because of his authoring of "the first book explicitly related to the existentialist tradition written by a Japanese thinker": "Studies of Human Being in Pascal" (1926).
Thought
Miki developed a reading of Heidegger's early philosophy as essentially being in the tradition of ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
individualism
Individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
, reaching back to Saint Augustine and being fundamentally anti-Greek in character. As such, his reading of Heidegger falls with the broad class as Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
, in that it ignores the priority Heidegger gives to the ontological question of Being, in favor of seeing Heidegger's philosophy as an analysis of human existence.
He became a Marxist
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
in 1925, and preceded Sartre in suggesting a synthesis of Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
and existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
.