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Many people believe that the activity known as “philosophy” applies only to Western philosophy and to modern and contemporary philosophies that have been influenced by it. In particular, in Japan, where the Western tradition of ancient Greek philosophia was introduced in the mid-19th century, there remains a common belief that the rich thoughts and writings before the end of the Edo period do not fall within the category of “philosophy.” By clarifying the project of “world philosophy (sekai tetsugaku),” which originated in Japan in the 21st century, and providing examples, this book aims to challenge such a narrow view of philosophy and to construct a new philosophy that addresses the various problems and difficulties of the contemporary world.
 
This book is structured in three parts. Part 1 presents the philosophy and basic issues of “world philosophy”; Part 2 addresses specific case studies; and Part 3 outlines directions for future development.
 
Part 1 begins by presenting a basic policy: to widen the scope to include various hitherto neglected non-Western philosophical traditions and to conduct a dialogue among them. Two problems arise in the construction of “world philosophy.” The first is the dilemma of language: the more we try to incorporate and discuss more cultures and traditions together, the more we rely on a shared “lingua franca”, in modern times, English, and the more its centralized domination intensifies. The second is the dilemma of universality: the “universality” proposed by ancient Greek philosophy must go beyond the framework of the “West” to truly realize its essence, but thinking limited to Western philosophy cannot lay claim to universality and can no longer be regarded as “philosophy.” To overcome these problems, a philosophical method carried out through translation has been proposed.
 
Based on this discussion, Part 2 explores African philosophy, contemporary Anglo-American analytic philosophy, East Asian philosophy, and cultural exchanges in antiquity. First, the potential of African philosophy, which has traditionally been excluded and suppressed from “philosophy” due to the monopoly of European and white culture, is shown (see Tetsuya Kono's The Complete History of African Philosophy, Chikuma Shinsho, 2024). Second, Anglo-American analytic philosophy, which became mainstream philosophy in the 20th century, is analyzed within the framework of world philosophy. Third, the construction of the history of East Asia, which was formed around the Chinese character sphere, is proposed. Finally, the confrontation between Greek and Indian philosophies in northwest India is examined as a site for the generation of world philosophy in which different traditions encounter each other. The Buddhist external scripture The Questions of King Milinda illustrates the tension between the two philosophies, which was studied especially in 20th century Japan, where the possibility of a “world philosophy” linking Japan to East Asia and Europe has been explored.

Part 3 returns to ancient Greek philosophy, the origin of Western philosophy, revisits its foundations, and proposes world philosophy as a dialogue. This book presents a sketch of world philosophy that should be developed in the future, and each of us is invited to participate in world philosophy and live in this world with philosophy.
 

(Written by NOTOMI Noburu, Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / 2025)