Japanese and Continental Philosophy: Conversations with the Kyoto School ed. by Bret W. Davis, Brian Schroeder, Jason M. Wirth (review)

The introduction of this volume, “Conversations on an Ox Path,” opens with a straightforward statement of the book’s purpose: “to promote dialogue between Western and Japanese philosophy, and more specifically between Continental philosophy and the Kyoto School.” In view of the fact that the Kyoto School is defined by its engagement with Western thought, and Continental philosophy in particular, one can’t help but detect a hint of graciousness, of Kyoto indirectness, of the bow in this opening gesture. This collection may be best understood as an enticement to Continental thinkers, and as an invitation to redeem this dialogical asymmetry. And since this title appears as part of the “Studies in Continental Thought” series, which is edited by John Sallis, the target audience is quite clear. Its concrete challenge, then, is that it must offer itself as an exemplar of what it means to take up this invitation to dialogue, while its capacity to entice the thinking of Continental philosophers constitutes the implicit criterion of exemplarity. To frame the point in more general terms, and in a way that the thinkers of the Kyoto School would likely appreciate: dialogue discovers its authenticity in its power to provoke thinking. The essays comprising this volume are for the most part careful, penetrating, and thoughtful encounters that meet the burden of this task. In my judgment, this volume constitutes a provocative confrontation with Continental thought and I certainly expect that it will be well received by the audience it solicits.