The Initial Translation of

Title

The Initial Translation of

Author

Wen-fen CHEN

Page

1-43

DOI

10.6163/tjeas.2012.9(2)1

Abstract

Can Japan's unique thoughts be considered "philosophy"? This question derives from Nishi Amane's (1829-1897) conceptual translation of "philosophy" as "哲學" in Chinese ideogram. Since then, it has become an eye-catching issue among intellectuals. This paper explores the process of the initial translation of "philosophy" discussed by contemporary Japanese intellectuals, with a focus on the discussion of "philosophy," which is composed by "philo" and "sophia.
I argue that the activities of translation are not only static but also dynamic. They seek for similar concepts in different languages as well as conceptualize those which cannot easily be considered equivalent to one another through deeply psychological reflection. Hence, there must be some consideration for the intellectuals to employ Western words for the translation of Western concepts. This paper, to some extent, tends to interpret those implied codes embedded. I will investigate into how Nishi defined Japanese "philosophy" and how the features of Japanese philosophy were gradually created by the circle of Japanese philosophy. Furthermore, this paper will analyze how Nishida Kitarō (1870-1945) and other scholars during the period of the Kyoto School constructed a Japan-style logic of philosophy. No matter if they are identified with the existence of Japanese "philosophy," intellectuals must differentiate the nature of the Eastern thoughts from the Western counterparts by giving different features when translating "philosophy." It was not until the Kyoto School that the discussion of philosophy could be initiated. Based on self-consciousness, intellectuals combined existence with the matter of fact, and thus established a type of metaphysics. It was a novel view to see nature and culture through the process of the self-consciousness as a mixture of Eastern and Western philosophy.

Keyword

philosophy, li-xue, Nishi Amane, Nishita Kitarō, modern Japan,translation, Conceptual History

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