An Outline Of A Theory Of Civilization

Yukichi Fukuzawa rose from low samurai origins to become one of the finestintellectuals and social thinkers of modern Japan. Through his bestsellingworks he hel... » 

Yukichi Fukuzawa rose from low samurai origins to become one of the finestintellectuals and social thinkers of modern Japan. Through his bestsellingworks he helped transform an isolated feudal nation into a fullfledgedinternational force. In Outline of a Theory of Civilization the authors mostsustained philosophical text Fukuzawa translates and adapts a range of Westernworks for a Japanese audience establishing the social cultural and politicalavenues through which Japan could connect with other countries. Echoing theideas of Western contemporaries such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt WhitmanFukuzawa encouraged a grassroots elevation of the individual and nationalspirit as well as free initiative in the private domain. Fukuzawas boldproject articulated thoughts that for him bolstered the material evidence ofWestern civilization. He argued that the essential difference separatingWestern countries from Japan and Asia was the extent to which citizens actedlike free and responsible individuals. This careful new translationaccompanied by a comprehensive critical introduction highlights the trulytransnational aspects of Outline of a Theory of Civilization and its status asa foundational text of modern Japanese civilization. Approaching Fukuzawasprogressive thought with a fresh eye these scholars elucidate the monumentaland peerless quality of his work. «