I and Thou

the Problem of Free Will in Nishida's Philosophy

Abstract

Nishida's philosophy begins with grasping Reality since his first philosophical work, “A Study of Good” (1911). In this paper, I attempt to explore the problem of free will that is part of his studies of reality. He discusses the problem of free will in two phases. One phase is “action out of the ground of the self”, and another phase is “individual action of the self as an individual”. These two phase are also treated in “Self-conscious Realization of Nothingness” (1932) in which he began to discuss the historical world of Reality and Person as his proper theme. I would like to clarify relation between the two phases of free will by investigating the theory of Reality and Person in Nishida's philosophy.