Richard Stone (Tokyo City University) and Gerald Nelson Jr. (Penn State University) are hosting a reading group and lecture series celebrating Professor John Krummel’s newly released English translation of Miki Kiyoshi’s magnum opus, The Logic of Imagination. This translation presents an exciting opportunity for English-speaking audiences to engage with modern Japanese philosophical thought. Additionally, Miki’s rich engagement with Western philosophy may offer a foothold for those new to Japanese philosophy to join a broader conversation.
The reading group meets bi-weekly on Wednesdays, 7–9 p.m. Eastern Time, through April 23. The next meeting is scheduled for November 13, during which we will discuss sections 5–9 of the “Institution” chapter of The Logic of Imagination. Although the reading has begun, participants are welcome to join and catch up, or simply listen. We are reading the book in both English and Japanese, and copies of either version are suitable. Please feel free to reach out to Gerald Nelson Jr. at gkn5069@psu.edu if you need assistance obtaining a copy.
In addition to the reading group, we will invite selected speakers to present on Miki’s work and deepen our understanding of Miki scholarship. Currently, John Krummel, Yoko Arisaka, Fernando Wirtz, Matsui Nobuyuki, Odagiri Takushi, Melanie Coughlin, Stephen Lofts, and Viren Murthy are scheduled to speak.
To RSVP, please use the following link:
For those interested, I have also compiled a folder of relevant information (discount codes, reading schedule, Zoom link, flyer, etc.) available at this Dropbox link:
The first lecture in our series was delivered by Fernando Wirtz (Kyoto University) on October 16, titled “The Many Faces of Myth: The Development of the Mythical in Miki Kiyoshi.” A raw recording of this lecture is available below:
You may also view the full lecture schedule here:
