Faculty Conference Presentation: Thinking Beyond Watsuji: A Philosophy of the Sea – Dr. Kyle Shuttleworth

Dr. Kyle Shuttleworth, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, gave a presentation at the European Network of Japanese Philosophy, hosted by Tallinn University, one of Akita International University’s partner universities in Estonia.

Conference & Presentation Outline

European Network of Japanese Philosophy
Tallinn, Estonia
Held by the Department of Philosophy, Tallinn University.

Dr. Shuttleworth mid-presentation, discussing the environmental application of Watsuji Tetsurō’s concept of *fūdo* (風土)

Title: Thinking Beyond Watsuji: A Philosophy of the Sea
Presenter: Dr. Kyle Shuttleworth
Description: There is a distinct lack of literature about the sea in Western philosophical thought, and what has been written by Western philosophers can be arranged into three categories: i) something to fear (e.g. Plato), ii) something to exploit (e.g. Hegel), and iii) something to romanticise (e.g. Nietzsche). However, these are human projections of how we imagine the sea, or how it affects us. That is, the sea doesn’t seek to enact revenge for wrongs, provide us with the means to enrich ourselves, or allure us with its beauty. In order to develop an environmental ethic which enables us to evaluate our duties to marine environments, it is necessary to avoid anthropocentric interpretations by establishing a phenomenological account of the sea. To achieve this aim, I propose the development and extension of Watsuji Tetsurō’s concept of fūdo (風土). Although Watsuji’s concept only refers to land, I nevertheless illustrate that not only can fūdo be applied to marine environments, but that the sea is in fact fundamental to Watsuji’s concept of fūdo.

The Conference

Dr. Shuttleworth with his longtime friend Professor Yusa (Professor Emerita of Western Washington University, another of AIU’s partner universities)

This was the 8^th annual conference of The European Network of Japanese Philosophy (ENOJP), which was conducted over three days (6-8 September) and featured 36 panels, with over 70 presenters from all across Europe, America, and Asia. There were three keynote speakers: Professor Emerita Yusa Michiko (Western Washington University) discussed Nishida Kitarō’s philosophy, Distinguished Professor Tõnu Viik (Tallinn University) presented his thoughts on A.I. and love, and Professor Deguchi Yasuo (Kyoto University) talked about his theory of WE-I. The ENOJP was established in 2015 and has become the largest Japanese philosophy society in Europe, illustrating the growing interest in Japanese philosophy and its importance worldwide.