ABSTRACT
Only a Hegelian, philosophy’s perennial optimist, could discover something positive amid this metaphysical rout. Viewed dialectically, one might argue that this crisis may yet prove to have been an essential detour on the march towards a more profound and richer understanding of modern Japanese ideas. If Japan studies is to renew its commitment to the totality of Kyoto thought, a dialectical reading must be brought to bear on two of our most influential responses to the Farías scandal: Rude Awakenings and Philosophers of Nothingness.3 Here Rude Awakenings, which appeared in 1994, will occupy stage centre, while the impact of Philosophers of Nothingness, translated from the Spanish in 2001, will be assessed in Chapter 11.
