One of the most striking features of Japan’s engagement with modernity is its concept of memory. While the West has often viewed memory as a passive repository of past events, Japan regards memory as an active, creative force that shapes both individual and collective identity. Japan’s cultural memory—embodied in literature, art, and commemorative practices—does not simply preserve the past but actively engages with it to create meaning and navigate the present.
The role of aesthetics in Japanese culture further complicates and enriches this understanding of memory. Aesthetics in Japan is not merely concerned with the appreciation of beauty, but with a more philosophical and existential exploration of life’s impermanence. The mono no aware (the "pathos of things") is a central tenet of Japanese aesthetics that encourages a heightened awareness of the fleeting nature of existence, coupled with an appreciation for the fragility and beauty inherent in all things. This philosophical outlook challenges the technocratic worldview of modernity, offering instead a model where awareness of impermanence informs not only individual behavior but also collective actions and societal organization.
In this book, we aim to explore how Japan’s rich cultural memory and aesthetic sensibilities can provide the intellectual and ethical resources needed to rethink modernity in the 21st century. By examining the relationship between memory, aesthetics, and philosophy, we hope to develop a framework for addressing the global challenges we face today. This framework will not only draw on Japanese thought and tradition but also engage with contemporary philosophical and theoretical discourses that reflect the global stakes of modernity’s future.
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- Pitshou Moleka (Autor:in), 2025, Reimagining Japan: The Crisis of Modernity, the Future of Memory, and the Intelligence of Aesthetics, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1585261
