The Japanese View of "Nature" Formed in a Book Metaphor for "Shizen"

Abstract

Examining translations of the slogan "Study Nature, not Books" into Japanese, the present study focuses on the difference in view of "nature" between Japan and the West, and clarifies characteristic features of the Japanese view of "nature", i.e. the view of "shizen". Although "book" is used as a metaphor for "nature" not only in the West but also in Japan, the difference in the metaphor distinctly reflects the difference in view of "nature". The Japanese translations given by senior high school students are roughly classified into two types. They markedly show the difference in attitude to"shizen". One is in accordance with the meaning of the Japanese term may lead to the misunderstanding that "nature" is something to be followed by human beings. The other disagrees with the traditional Japanese term because it inclines to words the English meaning of "mature". In thesecond type of the translation "shizen" is something that can be objectified. Consequently, the two types of the translation are incompatible with each other because they might cause a certain conflict in Japanese people's understanding of "shizen", which will cause a problem in the field of science education in Japan. Being motivated by the difference in translation, the present comparative study reveals the following difference between Japan and the West:On one hand, "nature" as implied by themetaphor demands human reason in the same way that the Bible does;on the other hand, "shizen" as implied by the metaphor will be understood according to the Japanese view of "shizen".