The Life, Philosophy, and Political Thought of Tosaka Jun with Dr. Fernando Wirtz (Kyoto University)

The Following video is a continuation of my series on Classical German Philosophy and Post-Kantian Thought. The title of today's episode is The Life, Philosophy, and Political Thought of Tosaka Jun with Dr. Fernando Wirtz (Kyoto University). This episode explores the life and philosophy of the Japanese philosopher Tosaka Jun and his contributions to Japanese philosophy and Marxist thought. Dr. Fernando Wirtz provides a comprehensive overview of Tosaka's life and work. The episode begins with how Tosaka emerged from neo-Kantianism to then becoming, a prominent Marxist philosopher in the 1930s, despite facing police persecution. Dr. Wirtz also discusses Tosaka's critical relationship with the Kyoto School philosophers, particularly his disagreements with Nishida and Tanabe's Hajime's concepts of nothingness and mediation, while also, acknowledging their philosophical continuities and influences. Dr. Fernando Wirtz gives us a deep dive into Tosaka's development of a "political epistemology" that emphasizes how knowledge production is shaped by class relations and power dynamics. This leads to the concept of ideology as "anachronism" which Tosaka explains are ideas from the past that have been misapplied in the present. Dr. Wirtz navigates the viewer through Tosaka's most important work, "The Japanese Ideology," which analyzes how liberal and fascist ideologies have operated in Japanese society through temporal misalignment. Fernando, also clarifies the important distinction behind the terminology of "The Left Kyoto School." While Miki and Tosaka are often labeled as "left Kyoto School thinkers," according to Fernando, this terminology should only be "viewed as a useful taxonomy" (for thinkers like Miki Kiyoshi and Tosaka Jun). However, these important philosophers would never identify with this label themselves, as the Kyoto School must be understood "as a diverse constellation of philosophers rather than a unified group" (Fernando Wirtz). Importantly to note, Fernando; provides an excellent, scholarly, overview and explains for the viewer, why Tosaka (as a Japanese philosopher living in the 1930's during a period marked by fascism and technological disruption), is immensely important for our current world today. Dr. Fernando Wirtz is an Assistant Professor at Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Letters and Joint Degree Master of Arts Program in Transcultural Studies. Dr. Wirtz’s research interests are Japanese Philosophy, Intercultural Philosophy, German Idealism, Ethics, and Global South Studies. Fernando also serves as a Board member of the Society for Intercultural Philosophy. Dr. Wirtz has published widely on F. W. J. Schelling, Friedrich Creutzer, The Kyoto School, Miki Kiyoshi, Tosaka Jun, Nishida Kitaro, Kosaka Masaaki. He is the author of Phanomenologie Der Angst: Symbolik Und Mythologie Bei F.W.J. Schelling Und F. Creuzer and the forthcoming text Myth and Ideology: An Essay on the Philosophy of Political Action in Japan with Mimesis International Press. Dr. Wirtz is also a returning guest on The Young Idealist, his first appearance was for our episode on Miki Kiyoshi and the Kyoto School. Dr. Fernando Wirtz: https://kyoto-u.academia.edu/Fernando... https://kdb.iimc.kyoto-u.ac.jp/profil... https://philpeople.org/profiles/ferna... Enjoy the episode! エピソードをお楽しみください。 #TosakaJun #KyotoSchool