Description: Grounded in Japanese philosophy and ideas of non-duality and emptiness, this is a much-welcomed contribution to central issues in philosophy of education.
Brief description: Anton Sevilla-Liu is Associate Professor of Clinical Pedagogy at Kyushu University. His research examines how to transform education using the insights of Japanese Philosophy combined with contextual psychology. He is the author of Watsuji Tetsurô's Global Ethics of Emptiness: A Contemporary Look at a Modern Japanese Philosopher (2017) and the translator of Sueki Fumihiko's Religion and Ethics at Odds: A Buddhist Counter-Position (2016). He is also one of the editors of the Journal of Japanese Philosophy.
Review Quotes:
"In this ground-breaking book, Anton Sevilla-Liu succeeds in bringing aspects of Japanese philosophical thinking to the Western reader in a highly readable and engaging way. Concentrating especially on the work of Mori, the philosophy of education, and Watsuji, the philosopher of place, the book shows the practical relevance of their thought to education, therapy, and the living of a human life. These important representatives of the Kyoto School of Philosophy - the only distinctively Japanese development of philosophy - bring together an inheritance of Western philosophical ideas with Eastern ways of life and thought in a manner that offers insights and possibilities for practice from which all can potentially benefit. Sevilla-Liu's writing is firmly grounded in his professional and practical experience, and his discussion is well attuned to and realistic about the stresses and challenges of the contemporary world." --Paul Standish, Chair of Philosophy of Education, University College London, UK
"In this excellent study, Sevilla masterfully illustrates the universal applicability of Watsuji's and Mori's pedagogical approaches, reminding educators of our most fundamental obligation: the cultivation of those in our care - essential reading for anyone in an educational role." --Kyle Shuttleworth, Visiting Research Fellow, Queen's University Belfast, UK "In recent research on Japanese philosophy, the trend to decenter Kyoto School philosophy is gaining momentum. Anton Sevilla-Liu's new book on Watsuji Tetsuro and Mori Akira makes a significant contribution to this trend. Drawing from his sustained engagement with Watsuji's "science of humankind" (ningen no gaku) and diverse strands of educational philosophy across Europe, the United States, and Japan, Sevilla-Liu offers fresh insights that bridge East Asian and Western philosophical traditions. His careful attention to the educational dimensions of these thinkers' work makes this book invaluable for scholars of comparative philosophy and philosophy of education, as well as for practitioners seeking philosophically grounded approaches to pedagogy. This is a timely and important intervention in the field." --Hans Peter Liedercah, Professor of Sociology, Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan