Review

Author(s): Ensho Ashikaga

Review by: Ensho Ashikaga
Source: Philosophy East and West, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Apr., 1951), pp. 76-77
Published by: University of Hawai'i Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1396941
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76 BOOK REVIEWS
wei (artificiality) whereasthe book talksaboutwu-wei(non-artificiality), the two
weis being interchangeable? Fung saysthatthe Mohistswere originally"knights-
errant"becausetheyweregood in military defenseand had an ethicsof selflessness
(pp. 37, 50). From the same Hu
facts, Shih concludesthattheywerea religious
group,and Creelbelievesthattheywerepacifists. The possibility
of otherconclusions
is by no meansexhausted.If ancientscholarswereusuallylandlords, as Fung says
(p. 18), howarewe goingto explainthecasesoflandlessConfucius, Mencius,Lao-tzii,
Chuang-tzii, Mo-tzii,and therest?Is it logicalto arguethatbecauseT&ngHsi was a
lawyer, ancient debatersas a groupwereoriginally lawyers(pp. 81-82)?
It mustbe pointedout,however, thatthesequestionsand theforegoing criticisms
shouldnot overshadow thegreatmeritsof the book. Not onlyis it the firstand as
yettheonlycompletehistory of Chinesephilosophy in English,it is also a scholarly
workby a foremost Chinesephilosopher whosemonumental Historyof ChinesePhi-
losophyis the bestof its kindand alreadywell knownto WesternSinologists. The
presentworkis no abridgment of theHistory.The treatment of ChineseBuddhism,
especiallyCh'an (ch. 22), the divisionof Neo-Taoisminto rationalism and senti-
mentalism(chs. 19-20), the studyof Yin Yang fromsourceslike the Li-chi,the
Liu-shih ch'un-ch'iu,etc.,are all new and exceptionally well done. The chapteron
Taoist sentimentalism revealsthe truecharacter of Taoism and is a commendable
contribution. Accountsof historical background are generallyverygood,particularly
thatof Han philosophy.Fung has discussedexpertlyvariousChineseconceptsof
history as no otherwriterhas done. And thereis a wholechapter(28) on his own
philosophy, whichis mostwelcome.
As editor,Professor Bodde has done an excellentjob in makingtheEnglishdear
and smoothreading,in providinga shortbut informative introduction, and in com-
piling an extensive bibliography. Since English literature
on Neo-Confucianism is
pitifully one
inadequate, might add P. C. Hsii's EthicalRealism in Neo-Confucian
Thought(Peiping: privately published,1933). However,theworkis scarcely avail-
able. All in all, thevolumeunderreviewfulfills an urgentneed in theWest,a ful-
fillment long overdue.-WING-TSIT CHAN,Dartmouth College.

NIHIRIZUMU1 (NIHILISM). By Keiji Nishitani.Tokyo:K6bund6,1949 (Sh6wa

24). Pp. iv, iii+ 239.
This book,in Japanese,consistsof a prefaceand
seven chaptersentitledas follows: Nihilismas existentialism; From realismto
nihilism;The first
perfectnihilist:Nietzsche;Affirmativenihilism:Nietzsche;Nihilism
as egoism:Stirner;Nihilismas philosophy:Heidegger;The significance of nihilism
to us. The author,one of themostnotedphilosophers in Japan,was formerlyon the
of
faculty KyotoUniversity.
In thisworktheauthortreatsnihilism as an ideawhichhasbeendevelopeddefinitely
into self-consciousness,
i.e., nihilismis regardedby the authoras self-transcending
so-callednihilism.In discussingthis subject,Nishitaniclarifiesthe lineageof the
nihilistsand laysemphasisupon Nietzsche,Dostoevski, and Buddhism.He observes
thatmanycriticshavesaid thatthenihilism ofNietzschehadvariousconnectionswith
I
1 =r9 X.4

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BOOK REVIEWS 77

thatdeveloped by Dostoevski;furthermore, Nietzsche viewed"European nihilism"

as theEuropean formof Buddhism. It shouldbe noticed, however, thatNietzsche's
viewof Buddhism, undertheinfluence of Schopenhauer, wasHinayinistic andthat
it couldbe criticizedfromtheMahiy~na of
point view,especially Nig~rjuna's phi-
losophy.
As theobjectof thisbook,theauthorthoroughly investigatesvariousaspectsof
nihilism whichhavebeenpresented bythenihilists in Western Europe,findsthat
thereis an underlying schemecommon to all of them,and discusses thisscheme
emphatically as "theradicalunificationof creative nihilism andfiniteness." He per-
ceivesa newphilosophical development beingformed in thedepths ofcontemporary
European thought whichnowseeksthetheoretical basisuponwhichit can meet
Buddhism. Nishitani furthermentions thatthecreative nihilism ofStirner,Nietzsche,
andHeidegger wasan attempt to transcend thenihilism of hopelessness as wellas
an effortto realize"thetranscendency of nihilism through nihilism." In connection
withthisEuropean nihilist
attempt and effort, theauthormentions thecourseof
Oriental culture whichhas recentlybeenrevived as a subjectof discussion among
scholars,theforemost topicof whichis theBuddhist viewpoint of 5.iinyata(noth-
ingness).
According to theauthor, thesublime culmination of European nihilism in view-
ing "thetranscendency of theworld" as "the radicalunification of creativenihilism
andfiniteness" a
is,ideallyconsidered, movement toward the iinyataconception of
Mahdyana Buddhism. However, Nishitani points out that the sJnyatd doctrine as
elucidatedin the Madhyamika-sastra, Lin-chi-lu, etc.,containssomething yetun-
eventhoughthatnihilism
attainable, whichhas transcended theso-called nihilism
doesattempt attainment.
Although beyond thescopeofthisbook,thecomparative studyof thephilosophy
of nihilismin EastandWestis of interest andimportance to present-day thinkers.
It is hopedthattheauthor willdiscussthisaspectofthesubjectin a future publica-
tion.-ENSHOASHIKAGA, at Los Angeles.
of California
University

THE SUPREMEIDENTITY: AN ESSAYON ORIENTALMETAPHYSICAND

THE CHRISTIANRELIGION.ByAlanW. Watts.New York:Pantheon Books,
Inc.,1950. Pp. 204.
AlanWattsis a sensitive, andprofound
discerning,
interpreter andexponent ofthemystic heritage, WestandEast.Forthisheritage he
reserves theterm"metaphysic"-without an "s." Metaphysic,
so conceived,
is neither
a system ofphilosophy nora religion.It is an immediate a realization.
experience,
A "theory of metaphysic," as presented in The Supreme is
Identity, regarded as "a
necessarily inadequate attempt to describe a mostdefinite andpositiveexperience"
(p. 166), andto indicate thewayto itsrealization. The experienceorrealization
is
heldto be theimportant thing,to be, in fact,theultimate sourcefortheproper
direction of life,society,and religion."Western Wattswrites,
culture," "seemsat
themoment spiritually
disintegratedbeyond of
hope reconstruction"; he
yet believes
in thepossibility of "somenuclear grouphavinga principle of unityaround which
thenewsociety couldform, eventhough itpossessed noexternally
organizedcharacter"
(p. 26). Thisprinciple ofunityWattsfindsin metaphysic.

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