OKADA, Yusuke Associate Professor
Thought and philosophy are the most profound
Welcome to practical learning.
I conduct broad research in modern and contemporary philosophy and theology. Thought and philosophy may seem detached from everyday life and appear useless at first glance. However, the critical thinking skills cultivated within them surpass those of any other discipline. Especially in times of crisis, let's cultivate the core of our intellect rather than relying on superficial techniques.
- Main research areas: Modern and contemporary Western philosophy and theology, Kyoto School philosophy
- Courses taught: Modern European thought and philosophy, contemporary thought and philosophy, etc.
Research topic
I conduct broad research in modern and contemporary philosophy and theology.
Research Topics
On hermeneutics
Interpretation is required everywhere in our lives. When solving modern Japanese literature problems in high school, when reading texts required for university report assignments, and when opening the Bible and encountering enigmatic passages, and so on. Interpretation is the act of going beyond simply following the literal meaning of a text and thinking a step further to consider what it truly means. Hermeneutics is a branch of philosophy that deals with this interpretation, considering what interpretation is and what happens when we interpret something. In particular, I am exploring hermeneutics while studying the thought of H.G. Gadamer (1900-2002), a 20th-century philosopher who elevated hermeneutics to an important branch of philosophy.
On the philosophy of FDE Schleiermacher
F.E. Schleiermacher (1768-1834) was a German theologian who is considered to have laid the foundation for modern theology and Christian thought. "Modernity" holds immense significance for our lives, as well as for theology and Christianity. The knowledge of natural science and history that emerged during the modern era posed significant questions to traditional forms of Christian faith. Schleiermacher and other modern theologians did not shy away from this challenge, but instead directly addressed the question of how Christian faith is possible within a modern worldview. Using Schleiermacher as a starting point, this work explores what "modernity" truly means to Christianity.
On the philosophy of the Kyoto School
The Kyoto School was a network of intellectuals formed from the late 19th to the mid-20th century, centered around philosophers such as Kitaro Nishida and Hajime Tanabe of Kyoto University. Its defining characteristic was the reinterpretation of Mahayana Buddhism, their own faith, within the intellectual and conceptual framework of Western philosophy. Currently, there is a strong movement in global philosophical research to criticize Eurocentrism and turn to philosophical traditions outside the West, and the Kyoto School has suddenly attracted considerable attention as a unique entity within this movement. My research, in particular, focuses on the field of "Christian Studies," which explored Christian thought within the Buddhist-based Kyoto School, and investigates the relationship between Buddhism and Christianity within the Kyoto School.
Recent works
- Yusuke Okada, "Contemporary Japan and Hermeneutical Philosophy of Religion," *Gospel and the World*, 11 (2024), 2024, pp. 12-17.
- Yusuke Okada, "Commentary: A Perspective on Contemporary German Theology," *Bulletin of the Research Institute for Christian Studies*, No. 12, 2024, pp. 81-87.
- Yusuke Okada “Nishida Kitarō and FDE Schleiermacher: On the Romantic Spinozism in their Early Thoughts” in: European Journal of Japanese Philosophy (8), 2023, pp.71-98.
- Yusuke Okada, "An Essay on Hermeneutical Religious Thought," *Journal of Christian Studies*, No. 41, 2022, pp. 127-146.
- Yusuke Okada ``Is Gadamer a Realist?'', in trópos: Rivista di ermeneutica e critica filosofica 2(12), 2019, pp.157-171.
- Yusuke Okada ``Ontologische Differenz in der philosophischen Hermeneutik Gadamers“ in Internationales Jahrbuch für Hermeneutik, (18), 2019, S.198-212.
For more details, please see researchmap.