Library Recycling
Since I can't buy many books with my pension after retirement, I mainly read old books on the bookshelf. And I'm going to ′′ excavate ′′ a pretty interesting book.
In other words, books by well-known authors are interesting. Somewhere there is "good content". Unfortunately, many authors died before I finished reading the book.
I got this book from the library about ten years ago. In the first place, I think that recycling is no longer needed in the library. It's a clean book. There is no classification sticker. Was it donated (?) and not placed in the library?
How many people would have borrowed this book if it had been arranged? How many people in this town know about the existence of this book? I feel like the number of people who know "Hajime Nakamura" is getting smaller and smaller.
I
Even if Hajime Nakamura dies, this book will remain. Is that a "good thing" for the author? Currently, there are videos and photos of actresses and former idols who are about 60 years old when they were 18 years old. Is that a "good thing" for them? Especially for AV actresses, "being young" is valued, and most of them make their debut before the age of 20 and retire in a few years. Is it a good thing that AV remains for girls in their mid-twenties? For the deceased, there is no way to know if the writing remains, but I feel that it cannot be simply said to be a "good thing".
It is "me" who thinks "memories" and "writings and works remain" as "good", "bad", "bragging" and "embarrassing". It is not ``Mr. XX'' who thinks ``Mr. It is only "I" who thinks, feels, and thinks. I cannot think, feel, or contemplate the thoughts, feelings, and thoughts of 'other people (others, thou)' and 'pet cats'.
That ``I'' is called ``himself'' or ``self'' or ``ware/ego''. I grew up with a post-war democratic education. Among them, "having a solid self" and "having individuality" were taught as "correct" and "should be". The author was born in 1912 (the first year of the Taisho era) (hence the original name). It can be said that I received an imperialist or militaristic education in prewar Japan. Therefore, I think that the way they feel about “me” is also different.
However, Japanese people were not completely replaced after the war, and the basic structure of the capitalist society has not changed. I believe that the basic structure is defined by "I," "self," and "ego." The three are not the same, but I can't quite figure out the difference. Maybe it's a question of definition. It might be good if I could organize it as "I use it in this sense".
I
I'm not sure, so I'll list words that are similar to or strongly related to "I".
I, I, I, Self, Soul, Mind, Mind, Subject, Individual, Subject, Subject, Sense, Feel, Think p>
I tried to think of a word that would be paired with this.
You, others, thou, others, body, body, body, object, society, predicate, object, substance, existence/think, fact
Some of them are a bit suspicious and far-fetched. There may be different things depending on the person, but all of them are familiar as Japanese. Which of these originally existed in Japanese? Instead of the on-yomi, the only kun-yomi readings you can read are “I, Anata, Nanji,” “Body, Soul,” and “Aru, Think, and Omote.” What did "kanjiru" say in the Yamato language?
Things that originally existed in the Japanese language were necessary words for Japanese people to live, but Indian thought, which entered Japan via Chinese thought along with Buddhism, enriched the Japanese language ( complicated). A thousand and several hundred years later, Western thought surged in, and many Japanese words were created in response to this. Unless you're an expert, you can't tell which is the Yamato language, which is the Buddhist term, and which is the translation.
More words means more objects to correspond to. Some call it "richness". For example, "tenugui" can be divided into "hand towels", "towels", "bath towels", "handkerchiefs", and so on. "Apples", "mandarins" and "grapes" are more and more divided as new varieties increase. "House" has more and more names such as "apartment", "corporation", "mansion", "house", "maison", and "palace". Having more names is not the same as having more things. Some might say, “There is more quality than quantity,” but in the end it is the same thing.
This is "material richness", but "mind" is divided into "I, myself, self, spirit, subject, etc." I think that there are fewer people who feel "the richness of the house" than those who feel "the richness of the house." Because "I" does not increase in number. In Japanese, there are various words to express "I", such as "ore, boku, atashi". In English, it's just "I" (except for Old English, "ego", "self", etc.). It is clear that this is not proof that the Japanese ``I'' is ``richer'' than the British and Americans.
Responsibilities
I rather feel that being divided makes the individual smaller. I think there are more and more people who can't wipe their bodies after bathing without a bath towel (those who get angry). I feel like the "richness" that I originally had is dispersed.
The new words will be removed from everyday life. When "I" is divided into mind and body, and the mind is divided into consciousness and unconsciousness, the word "unconsciousness" tends to be used unconsciously, but it is very difficult to explain unconsciousness. It is difficult to answer the question, "What is the difference between romantic love and liking?" is.
One thing I really don't like is the word "accountability". The explanations and responsibilities are abstract and hard to understand. Does the mass media use it in the sense that they have an obligation to explain? Responsibilities and obligations are different, but why is it permissible for "persons who are responsible" to say "no comment" or "I will refrain from answering"? Who is "withholding" from whom and for what? They sound like empty words. I think the very word “accountability” is an empty phrase.
Since the words are abstract and away from everyday life, they are "euphemisms". In Western European languages, where words are commonplace, what you say has to be direct.
Self
Isn't it ``Self''? It can be said that this problem has been the central problem in many philosophical systems and religious thought since ancient times. (P.11)
This book begins with the opening sentence. Why this is a "problem" is not made clear here. The conclusion of the "searching for yourself" throughout the book will unravel this premise. It is true that the ``self'' is a theme in Western Europe, India, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. When did it become a problem in Japan? It seems to have been a problem for Buddhist monks. But that means "as long as it remains in the literature". Those who didn't write, that's the majority of humans, most humans. I don't know if 'Self' was a problem for them as well. It means that the person who wrote the sentence was making it a problem.
In ancient Greek philosophy, however, the ``self-seeking movement'' unfolded as a movement in search of the psyche (soul), which is semantically similar to the atman. (P.18)
Writing a sentence means finding “myself” there. Like finding yourself in a mirror or the surface of water. I don't know if Plato or Aristotle wrote their own texts. Neither Jesus nor Buddha (Gautama Siddhartha) wrote the book himself. It is known that in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia there was a profession called "scribe". Before the development of printing technology in Europe, there were many scribes. Just as there are still “ghostwriters”, “writing” and “externalizing the self” are not the same thing.
I feel that the common people did not, and in some ways still do not, have a 'self'. In dramas, the ``self'' of kings and generals is drawn, and the ``self'' of small roles such as cut-off roles, or what we call ``mob characters'' in today's language, is not drawn. I always wonder what it must have been like for those who were simply cut off by the orders of their superiors and died. "Substories, side stories, and spin-offs" with those people as the main characters are sometimes drawn, but most of them cannot surpass this work. I don't know if they had a conflict between their loyalty to their lord and their "self" that they didn't want to be cut to death. It must have been difficult to part with a beloved wife, child, or parent. However, his feelings for his master must have far exceeded his "self."
To put it simply, it was "that kind of society." A society that thinks about things centered on the and a society that doesn't. In Western Europe (and in Japan as well), it was after the modern period that the ``self'' became central. The author calls it “self-awareness”.
Self-awareness
Self-awareness began in Europe in the early modern era, and later Western civilization developed along its lines. However, among the peoples of Asia and other continents, ``awareness of the self'' is still underdeveloped. We must establish a modern (or Western) view of the self. --This is the understanding among our intellectuals in general. (P.22)
This is not only the central theme of postwar democratic education, but also the mentality of intellectuals since the Meiji Restoration. I called it "enlightenment". "Enlightenment" means the same as "enlightenment". It is "enlightenment". It means something like "to show and guide the light to those who cannot see". I think many people know what the West did in Africa and the Americas under this Enlightenment. It's a treat for "intellectuals" or "strong people" and "rulers". Self-centeredness means that the intellectual has power, and that knowledge itself has power. The priority of "knowledge" in modern times is established. It's been 200 years at most.
We know, we want, we act. If we limit it to each individual,
there is
When considering the fact, (1) the subject who perceives, wants, and acts distinguishes itself from the outside world and other people. In that case, the subject is considered to be in opposition to the outside world and other people. This is called "self".
(2) It is also possible to consider only the subjects who are conscious, motivated and act without considering the external world and relationships with other people. In this case, the subject that becomes the subject of consideration and reflection because it has been objectified is called the ``Self''. (P.24-25)
I think this is a clear separation.
The Substance of the Ego
By the way, the view that regards the ego as a ``substance'' contains a logical fallacy. "Substance" and "property" are categories, which can be applied only to the phenomenal world. Descartes and Indian natural philosophers, who thought that the category of "substance", which is applied and has significance only in the world of experience, also has significance in the realm beyond the world of experience and regarded the self as a substance. There is an error of The ego is unquestionable, but the conclusion that it is a substance does not follow from it. (P.46)
Does the ego “exist”? It is the same question as whether there is anything outside the ego. Which do you think exists and which does not exist, the "ego" or the "objective world"? Materialism believes that ``the ego does not exist, but the objective world does.'' It may be said that skepticism is to think that Ordinary (?) people simply think that they have both, but intellectuals think about it thoroughly.
It is the central problem of philosophy as "ontology". Aristotle reduced existence (τὸ ὄν) to substance (οὐσία) to avoid ontology, but the question is not ``how is the ego?'' but ``whether the ego is?'' . Ontology is about “What is (exists)?” This is clearly answered by Parmenides (“Yes and no no ἔστιν τε καὶ οὐκ ἔστι μὴῖεἰναι” (fragment B2)). However, Western philosophy, which accepted Aristotle, regarded "existence" as "substance and nature" and "degraded" into Heidegger's "philosophy of existence" (Yoshinobu Kusakabe, Series Lectures on Greek Philosophy”). The author doesn't go into detail about the issue in this book. And
I want to start from self-awareness and self-reflection that we are ``living''.
To be alive is not a conclusion reached as a result of abstract thought. It is something that everyone feels in their daily lives. (P.59)
. And I recommend talking to "individuals" as it is. I think that is also a "convenience".
Each individual is influenced by the entire universe, and precisely because the way they are affected differs, they are established as individuals with slightly different aspects. (P.68)
These countless causes and conditions can be traced back to the infinite past.
Thinking in this way, countless causes and conditions from the infinite past not only establish the personality of the two people, but also the difference between the two personalities, that is, It establishes the uniqueness of each personality.
When you think about it, everything in the universe makes up who you are. (In Buddhist philosophy, all things in the universe that cause such things are called Zojoen or Nousain. (P.69-70)
Life
And that's all From this consideration, must be taken up not only as a problem of individual cells or individual organisms, but as a problem of the whole world, or rather, the universe as a whole. (P.195)
Anyway, if we accept the gradual structure of life, direct life is human life.
If you stand in this position, you should find the Absolute in the of human beings or living beings, and seek it in the transcendental being that transcends it. It is not possible. Life corresponds to the Absolute. (P.210)
We are human beings, and it is the 'I' that thinks of 'self', 'life', 'existence', etc. However, it is not inevitable to go from there to "human-centered" or "self-centered". I think that questioning that is the very essence of “searching for the self.” If you skip that, I think it will just become an "ethical" and "preachy" story.
However, there is no absolute universal formula for killing poisonous snakes to help humans. From the viper's point of view, the situation is reversed. To venomous snakes, humans are harmful and terrifying beings. However, because we are creatures in the form of human beings, we take sides with those who share the same appearance and essential characteristics. It is also an undeniable fact that there is a gradual difference there.
It is Buddhism that recognizes the superiority of human life while maintaining the view that the lives of animals, especially those closely related to humans, must be respected. (P.246)
However, in Japan, where Buddhist sentiments are prevalent, memorial services are held for animals that have been sacrificed for animal experiments. This is not the case in the West. Human egoism cannot be denied, but rather than being left without remorse as in the West, it is being seen from a higher position as a third party. (P.249)
Is the difference between the West and Japan whether or not they reflect? Of course, it's about the culture, not the individual. In the West, this "high third party" is called "God." Only before God are humans (egos) equal. In the West, God is nothing more than a projected and humanity, but I think that is also a form of "reflection." Therein lies the strong ego of the West.
And I think that "self-awareness" is "subjectivity (subject) awareness". In other words, it is to regard both things outside the ``I'' and the ``I'' itself as ``objects''. The Western way of thinking is to regard it as "existence" and "objectify" it. "I think, therefore I am" clearly declares this. Japanese do not consider “others” or “plants”. “Cooperation with other survivors and unity with other survivors” (p.203) is what the Japanese think of as “Bonga Ichijo”, and I feel that it is different from Indian thought.
Since the true self is the absolute subject, it cannot be objectified.
(1) It cannot be defined conceptually.
(2) It is something that cannot be defined and described by numbers or quantities.
Therefore, it cannot be something that has a specific shape or color. If it is something that can be expressed in language, the ``language'' is something that is common with others, and so long as one tries to understand it using means or materials that are common with others, one's own self is precisely that person's self. Things that are unique run away. (P.95)
To make the self the subject is to objectify other than the self. Having a subject itself is "self-centeredness" and "human-centeredness", isn't it?
However, I feel something ``disgusting'' about the word ``respect for individuality,'' which is emphasized in the modern West and is being used in Japan these days. It feels like it's full of fiction. It doesn't seem like they are being treated with 'respect' in that they are always treated as 'number of members'.
However, when we think, ``I am a child of man, he is a child of man,'' and feel infinite closeness to others, and when we share endless sympathy, we find a purpose in living brightly. I feel It is a heart-to-heart embrace through a sense of oneness with the infinite and inexhaustible. (P.76-77)
I feel the same way. A typical example that counts as is an election. I am only "one vote" and it is far from my "personality itself". Still, do I have to accept that I am considered a member and respect the "electoral system" and "democracy"?
From sympathy of destiny to love
Theoretical reasoning why humans should help and cooperate with humans more than birds and beasts is not possible. It should be based on the common sense of destiny that was born as a human being. Humans may be intellectually superior to birds and beasts, but they cannot be proved to be morally superior. The selfishness of some people is clearly inferior to that of predatory beasts.
All the rationale arguments put forth to claim that man is superior are human self-righteousness. Human egoism justifies human behavior towards birds and beasts. (P.290)
Considering why this "egoism" arises is the theme of this book, "searching for the self." And as long as you set the ``self'' as the ``object'' to explore, you will never find it. "What am I?" "What is the mind (consciousness)?" "What is a human being?" This is because we are thinking within a “cultural framework” that cannot be found.
That framework (academic framework, the framework of "knowledge") must be questioned.
When it comes to the fact that an insignificant individual performs an insignificant activity, and when it comes to performing infinite causal relationships and conditioning toward the future, the existence of an insignificant individual is of great significance. and honorable. (P.291)
That makes me feel a little better. At the same time, I think that thinking that way is nothing but a desire for self-approval. But that shouldn't be an excuse for "doing nothing".