Abstract

In Nishida Kitarō's work, allusions to East Asian philosophy abound. For this reason many researchers have commonly assumed that Nishida's logic evolved under the strong influence of East Asian thought, including Zen Buddhism. I do not deny such influences altogether, but nonetheless wish to present in this essay a different perspective. The following statement Nishida made in 1938 offers a good starting point: "I am not saying that there are two kinds of logic, Western logic and Eastern logic. Logic must be one".1 Nishida's lifelong quest for the universal system atic logic that these words hint at requires greater attention in interpreting his accomplishments. As I shall argue below, Nishida's famous...