Japanese Philosophies of Education

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A01=Anton Sevilla-Liu
Asian Studies
Author_Anton Sevilla-Liu
Buddhism
Category=JNA
Category=QDHC
comparative education
Confucianism
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eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
Japan
moral education
Mori Akira
no-mind
nothingness
pedagogy
Philosophy of education
students
unlearning
Watsuji Tetsuro

Product details

  • ISBN 9781350572775
  • Weight: 239g
  • Dimensions: 138 x 214mm
  • Publication Date: 22 Jan 2026
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
  • Publication City/Country: GB
  • Product Form: Paperback
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Grounded in Japanese philosophy and ideas of non-duality and emptiness, this is a much-welcomed contribution to central issues in philosophy of education.

Anton Sevilla-Liu uses the thought of ethicist Watsuji Tetsuro (1889-1960) and philosopher of education Mori Akira (1915-1976) to address the dangers of self-centeredness and conformism in a competitive education system. When individual performance is encouraged, is there a way to stress relationality without losing the sense of individuality and uniqueness?

We are introduced to Watsuji and Mori’s enlightening views of education, deeply rooted in spiritual insights that originate in Buddhism and Confucianism while engaging human sciences. By applying their theories to educational practices, Sevilla-Liu shows how to connect students' creative potential with a dynamic sense of community. Importantly, alongside this active philosophy, he introduces Watsuji and Mori’s central concept of letting go of our self-centeredness, fixed roles, attachments to sensations, and rigid ideas. We see how the philosophy of emptiness can positively impact educational practices.

This engaging book outlines a vision of education that balances individual creativity with a sense of community, responding to real challenges in educational systems around the world. It is the ideal starting point for educators and students interested in Japanese ideas about learning and unlearning, doing and letting-go, and the unique dynamicity of the philosophy of emptiness.

Anton Sevilla-Liu is Associate Professor for Clinical Pedagogy at Kyushu University, Japan. He is author of Watsuji Tetsurô’s Global Ethics of Emptiness (2017) and translator of Sueki Fumihiko’s Religion and Ethics at Odds: A Buddhist Counter-Position (2016) and Nishihira Tadashi’s The Philosophy of No-Mind (2024).

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