Bridges of intercultural thought: the Kyoto School and western philosophy

Abstract

This article analyzes the mutual influence between the Kyoto School —represented by Nishida Kitarō, Tanabe Hajime, and Nishitani Keiji— and Western philosophy, particularly German idealism, phenomenology, and existentialism. It argues for the existence of a genuine philosophical co-transformation between East and West, shown in how Kyoto thinkers critically integrated the ideas of Kant, Hegel, Husserl, and Heidegger with the Zen Buddhist tradition, developing original notions such as «absolute nothingness». It al-so examines the Japanese influence on Heidegger and the convergences between his later thought and Zen Buddhism, revealing a fertile intercultural dialogue concerning being and subjectivity.