"Philosophy" or "Religion"? The Confrontation with Foreign Categories in Late Nineteenth-Century Japan

Abstract

This article investigates how late nineteenth century Japanese philosophers responded to large categories of ideas imported from the West and for which there were no Japanese equivalents; mainly "science," "religion," and "philosophy." Discussions on whether Buddhism or Confucianism would fall under "philosophy" or "religion" accompanied a re-categorization of ideas. Some philosophers made elaborate reconstructions of Buddhism and Confucianism as modern philosophies. However, over time, Japanese categorizations of Buddhism and Confucianism shifted from "philosophy" (tetsugaku) to "thought" (shisō). Investigating Meiji philosophy from the perspective of this problem of categories makes it is possible to reevaluate it on its own terms.

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