“Continuity” in the Nishida Philosophy

Comparison with C. S. Peirce

Abstract

It is widely known that Kitaro Nishida consistently criticized and opposed the dualism of the European philosophy. This study reveals that Nishida was inspired toward this opposition by his unique intuition of totality and the continuity of the world. This study also analyzes this issue of “continuity” through a dialogue with the pragmatic perspective of Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), and particularly, with his viewpoint on the abduction theory. It also considers his thesis “Self-Identity and Continuity of the World Sekai no Jiko-Douitsu to Renzoku, “Introduction to Metaphysics( Keijijo-gaku Joron),” and “A Study of Good( Zen no Kenkyu),” and argues, from a multilateral perspective, that Nishida’s philosophical notions on “inclusion” and “continuity” were confirmed by empirical as well as scientific thought.