JPNB84 Modern Japanese thinking

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/0/0. 3 credit(s). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. David Grant (lecturer)
Mgr. Marek Mikeš, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Marek Mikeš, Ph.D.
Department of Japanese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Japanese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Thu 16:00–17:40 D21, except Mon 21. 4. to Sun 27. 4.
Prerequisites
The course does not require prior knowledge of modern Japanese thought. Familiarity with the development of major premodern intellectual traditions is an advantage.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 13/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of this introductory course is to present the main trends in the development of Japanese thought during the period from approximately 1868 to 1945, spanning the Meiji Revolution to the end of World War II. The course focuses on familiarizing students with the ways Western philosophy penetrated the Japanese islands and how it was received. Part of the course is dedicated to the philosophical discourse of the Kyoto School and its main representatives, particularly the figure and work of its perceived founder, Nishida Kitarō. The course also touches, to a lesser extent, on the related topic of religious thought.
Learning outcomes
Upon completing the course, students will acquire knowledge of the general trends in the development of modern Japanese thought, its main representatives, and their ideas. They will also gain a basic understanding of the cultural background in which these thinkers lived and created their works.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introductory Lesson
  • 2. New Paradigms: The End of Edo Period Culture and the Gradual Emergence of Japanese Modernity
  • 3. Definition of Terms: Philosophy and Thought at the Dawn of the Meiji Era
  • 4. Development of Modern Thought During the Meiji Era
  • 5-6. Philosophy of Nishida Kitarō
  • 7. The Kyoto School and Its Main Representatives
  • 8. Thinkers Affiliated with the Kyoto School
  • 9. Overcoming Modernity: Controversies Associated with the Kyoto School Before and During World War II
  • 10. Postwar Developments
  • 11. Final Test
Literature
  • PIOVESANA S.J., Gino K., 2013. Recent Japanese Philosophical Thought 1862-1996: A Survey Including a New Survey By Naoshi Yamawaki, The Philosophical Thought of Japan from 1963 to 1996. 3. New York: Routlege. ISBN 978-1-873-41065-3.
  • Japanese philosophy : a sourcebook. Edited by James W. Heisig - Thomas P. Kasulis - John C. Maraldo. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2011, xviii, 134. ISBN 9780824835521. info
  • The Oxford handbook of world philosophy. Edited by Jay L. Garfield - William Edelglass. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011, xxi, 633. ISBN 9780199351954. info
  • HEISIG, James W. Philosophers of nothingness : an essay on the Kyoto school. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2001, xi, 380. ISBN 0824824806. info
Teaching methods
The course combines direct lectures and discussions on the topics covered. It includes preparation through assigned readings for certain sessions.
Assessment methods
The course concludes with a written test. Completion of partial assignments and active participation in class are prerequisites for taking the test
Language of instruction
Czech
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2026.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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