“Inter” as a metamorphosis of thinking – T. Watsuji’s method and its applicability in contemporary intercultural discourse

Abstract

The article presents and describes the range of problems intercultural philosophy deals with, shows their specificity and relevance. The main characteristic features of intercultural philosophy are claimed to be 1) its polylogical nature, i.e. regarding the Other as a sine qua non for philosophizing, 2) readiness to wide philosophical discussions, and 3) the study of the special dynamic space “inter-”, which is the “meeting place” for different cultures, spiritual traditions and philosophical positions. The space “inter-” is what makes it possible to carry on a dialogue between cultures, to foster mutual understanding between them, and to stimulate the process of cognition. Primary attention is paid to the analysis of the intercultural method, declared as an innovative alternative to those approaches that were developed in the tradition of European, predominantly metaphysical, thought. The method of the famous Japanese philosopher Tetsuro Watsuji (1889–1960) is considered as an example. Although Tetsuro Watsuji cannot be called an intercultural philosopher, his approach to the interpretation of philosophical texts and, above all, the concept of “ningen” (“man”) proposed by him enable us to conclude that his works initiated the development of intercultural philosophy. Watsuji used the notion of ningen, or a person as an individual and at the same time social being, on the one hand, as an instrument of criticism of the European philosophical tradition, centered around the thesis of the autonomy of the subject, and on the other hand, as a creative concept provoking a metamorphosis of thinking. It is this metamorphosis that led to discovering the field of intercultural philosophy.