Paper short abstract:

In my presentation, I examine the concept of time in Andō Shōeki's philosophy. First, I discuss the idea of "annihilation of history" and then move on to focus on its role in the ontology and epistemological status of the human being.

Paper long abstract:

In Shizen shin'eidō ("The True Way of the Functioning of Nature"), Andō Shōeki (1703-1762) described a vision of the universe in which Nature (shizen) is an entity sufficient in itself, complete in its isness, all-encompassing and inclusive. For Shōeki, shizen no yo ("the World of Nature") is the unspoiled, primordial realm where all manifestations of life coexist in a pristine, quintessential state. Opposed to this realm is the shihōsei ("the World of the Private Law"), which represents human society, warped by an antagonism with the "True Way" because of the existence of self-serving, man-made laws.

For Shōeki, the whole world is a dynamic continuum in which Heaven and Earth do exist separately, but as the two sides of the same coin, i.e. as Heaven-and-Earth combined together in a totality created and governed by a flow of energies that circulate constantly, uninterrupted and eternal. This, for him, is the realm of Nature, and all forms of existence can only be immanent to this realm, deeply embedded within it. Therefore, since Nature is beginningless and endless, notions such as "time" or "history" seem to be completely irrelevant, as nothing can exist outside Nature.

Joly points out that "Nous avons vu Shôeki, grâce à la référence à l'idée de shizen, nier l'histoire et cela de façon si radicale qu'il alla jusqu'à en nier la possibilité même" (1996, 399-400). Furthermore, he adds that "ce monde de shizen que Shôeki nous invite à regagner, présente ce point commun avec l'idéologie communiste d'offrir l'image d'une totalité où l'histoire se trouve annihilée" (1996, 451).

In my presentation, I start from this idea of "denial / annihilation of history" - which seems to be in contradiction with the vision of a realm where dynamic energies constantly move about - and I examine the concept of time in Shōeki's philosophy, focusing on its role in the ontology and epistemological status of the human being.

(Joly, Jacques. 1996. Le naturel selon Andô Shôeki. Paris: Maisonneuve & Larose)