Watsuji Tetsuro 1889 – 1960
Watsuji Tetsuro (1889 – 1960) was a Japanese philosopher of the Contemporary era, associated with Buddhism.
Watsuji Tetsuro was a Japanese moral philosopher and cultural historian and one of the principal figures of twentieth-century Japanese thought. Drawing on Heidegger, Kant, and the Confucian and Buddhist traditions, he developed a distinctive ethics centered on the relational human being and the mutual constitution of person and fellow-person. His Climate and Culture argued that the natural environment is intrinsic to the structure of human existence rather than an external setting for it, and his three-volume Ethics, Rinrigaku, remains a touchstone of modern Japanese moral philosophy.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Japanese
- Era
- Contemporary
- Movements
- Buddhism
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Watsuji Tetsuro:
“Climate is the means by which a people grasps itself.”
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Attributed to Watsuji Tetsuro:
“Ethics is the study of betweenness, the space between person and person.”
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Attributed to Watsuji Tetsuro:
“The personal is always interpersonal.”
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Attributed to Watsuji Tetsuro:
“We exist as we are because of the climate that has shaped us.”
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Attributed to Watsuji Tetsuro:
“Solitude itself is a relation; it presupposes the other.”
Frequently asked about Watsuji Tetsuro
- When did Watsuji Tetsuro live?
- Watsuji Tetsuro was born in 1889 and died in 1960.
- Where was Watsuji Tetsuro from?
- Watsuji Tetsuro was a Japanese philosopher of the Contemporary era.
- What philosophical movements is Watsuji Tetsuro associated with?
- Watsuji Tetsuro was associated with Buddhism.
- What was Watsuji Tetsuro known for?
- Watsuji Tetsuro was a Japanese moral philosopher and cultural historian and one of the principal figures of twentieth-century Japanese thought.
- How many quotes are attributed to Watsuji Tetsuro?
- There are 5 attributed quotations from Watsuji Tetsuro in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.