Citation

Ikeda T. Memoirs of Faculty of Education and Human Studies, Akita University. Educational science 2002; 57: 13-22.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Akita University)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

If we look back upon 20th century's history of philosophy, we become aware that it is the historythrough which the violence involved in the modern way of thinking comes to be exposed. And suchtendency of 20th century's philosophy is regarded as the radical objection to the German idealisticstandpoint about the way of human formation. (German idealists insist that confronted by objects and encompassing them, human subject establishes himself.) However, we are advised from Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno that the theme with which 20th century's philosophy has been grappled can be settled only by serious confrontation with the classic way of thinking. He denounces the modern way of thinking that tends to prompt the reduction of the copious meanings of object to prosaic conceptsmade by subject. He proposes to exchange it for the "delicacy in thinking (Differenziertheit)" by mean of which we are informed of "the mimic element of recognition". And Adorno borrows this idea from Walter Benjamin.In an early essay, Benjamin makes clear his theme sought throughout his life. It is to find the realm that is neutral from both subject and object. Afterwards he calls this realm "experience" and defines it variously. But those definitions have common origin in Benjamin's own personal experience. In Treeand Speech, he represents his unique experience "doing the ancient marriage of tree and man overagain".By the way, in the 20th century's history of philosophy, we find another philosopher who develops his thought about the relationship between subject and object, basing on the same experience as Benjamin's one. In Eye and Spirit, as his fundamental motif, Merleau-Ponty cites a painter's experience as follows: Tree looks at him. To be sure, if we think much of Adorno's criticism against Phenomenology, we can't easily reduce Benjamin's thought with Merleau-Ponty's one to a common measure. But from the fact that they tried to overcome subject-object dualism on the strength of the common elementalexperience, can't we receive any precious clues to determine our own attitude against the modern way of thinking? In this paper, I clarify some suggestions that can be found out in their thoughts.