The Collected Philosophical Essays of Watsuji : Climate, Ethics, Nationality

Reshapes the landscape of English-language Watsuji studies.

Watsuji Tetsuro (1889-1960) is Japan’s foremost ethical philosopher. These essays, expertly translated by native English and Japanese speakers, offer the first English translation of many of Watsuji’s key texts including the final, and perhaps most important, chapter of Climate: A Philosophical Consideration (1962), Watsuji’s magnum opus. The selected translations are organised around three key themes: climate, ethics and nationality. Editorial introductions to each chapter construct a narrative account of Watsuji’s key concepts, putting the translations into context with Watsuji’s wider ideas. This collection positions Watsuji as a major world philosopher whose ideas are indispensable for thinking through environmental philosophy, global ethics and comparative philosophy in the twenty-first century.