Various Aspects of Absolute Contradictory Self-identity in Nishida

The Overlapping of the Religious World and the Historical World

Abstract

Although absolute contradictory self-identity is one of the most fundamental notions in the philosophy of Nishida, it is also notorious for its ambivalence. Actually, because Nishida uses this term in different senses and in various applications, it appears that it cannot avoid the charge of ambivalence. However, this essay considers the possibility that this very ambivalence can be taken as favorable. That is, this essay suggests that fields which have tended to be thought of as separate, actually overlap each other. This essay draws special attention to the fact that, among the various aspects of absolute contradictory self-identity which he formulates, Nishida develops formulations in both the religious world and the historical world. In general, it is often assumed that the religious world and the historical world are two completely different worlds; the former is assumed to be completely transcendent from the latter. But Nishida's notion of absolute contradictory self-identity can put this assumption into question. This essay claims that if one examines this notion carefully, then one will find that its very ambivalence demonstrate that these two worlds are intimately related and overlapping.