Ontology of Production presents three essays by the influential Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945), translated for the first time into English by William Haver. While previous translations of his writings have framed Nishida within Asian or Oriental philosophical traditions, Haver's introduction and approach to the texts rightly situate the work within Nishida's own commitment to Western philosophy. In particular, Haver focuses on Nishida's sustained and rigorous engagement with Marx's conception of production.

Agreeing with Marx that ontology is production and production is ontology, Nishida in these three essays-"Expressive Activity" (1925), "The Standpoint of Active Intuition" (1935), and "Human Being" (1938)-addresses sense and reason, language and thought, intuition and appropriation, ultimately arguing that in this concept of production, ideality and materiality are neither mutually exclusive nor oppositional but, rather, coimmanent. Nishida's forceful articulation of the radical nature of Marx's theory of production is, Haver contends, particularly timely in today's speculation-driven global economy. Nishida's reading of Marx, which points to the inseparability of immaterial intellectual labor and material manual labor, provokes a reconsideration of Marxism's utility for making sense of-and resisting-the logic of contemporary capitalism.

Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945) was a Japanese philosopher, and the founder of what has been called the Kyoto School of philosophy. He wrote extensively on Western philosophy and worked to link its concepts to Japanese philosophy. He was also a Marxist, and editor and translator Bill Havor has selected these three essays for translation because they will be politically and philosophically useful for contemporary theorists. The essays examine philosophical issues concerning the concepts of poesis and praxis relevant to Marx's ideas of production.

About the Author

Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945), considered the founder of the Kyoto School of Japanese philosophy, was Professor of Philosophy at Kyoto University. His many books include An Inquiry into the Good; Intuition and Reflection in Self-Consciousness; and Fundamental Problems of Philosophy. William Haver is Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at Binghamton University. He is the author of The Body of This Death: Historicity and Sociality in the Time of AIDS.

William Haver is Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at Binghamton University. He is the author of The Body of This Death: Historicity and Sociality in the Time of AIDS.

Reviews
"These well-crafted translations make three important essays by Nishida Kitaro, Japan's preeminent philosopher, available to English-language readers. In the introduction, William Haver suggests a new way of reading the essays, one that explains the ways that Nishida's work helps us to better understand the contemporary world."-Christian Uhl, Ghent University
"Ontology of Production is an intellectual breakthrough. By genuinely respecting Nishida Kitaro's commitment to 'Western philosophy,' William Haver corrects long-standing misinterpretations of the philosopher's work. The translations themselves are astonishing. Until reading this book, I had not imagined that such fidelity to the original was possible between Japanese and English."-Naoki Sakai, author of Translation and Subjectivity: On "Japan" and Cultural Nationalism
"It should be regarded not only as an introduction to Nishida's thought and the richness of twentieth-century Japanese philosophy but also as an invitation to investigate the Eastern traditions that account for so much of its depth and mystical appeal." -- Germaine A. Hoston * Political Theory *
"Ontology of Production promises a remarkable - albeit challenging - journey that is well worth the pursuit." -- David Baronov * Marx & Philosophy Review of Books *



Book Information
ISBN 9780822351801
Author William Haver
Format Paperback
Page Count 216
Imprint Duke University Press
Publisher Duke University Press
Weight(grams) 268g