from General Will 2.0 The concept of politics must be enriched

(Uno)
 In this day and age, we tend to clearly separate friend from foe, and if we are not on the same side, we tend to think that there is no point in having a discussion. It is precisely because we live in an age where such dichotomies are rampant that I would like to increase the number of relationships where people have different opinions from mine, but can still talk to each other. Otherwise, it would be difficult to live in this world. Uno, in his book “Democracy”, he wrote that people cannot understand each other. In “Democracy,” Mr. Uno writes that people cannot understand each other, but in order for people with different values to live together, they must create a common ground and rules. As a result, the role of politics has been reduced in the modern era, and the concept of politics must be enriched. p.296

nishio.iconWith respect to this “enriching the concept” of “enriching the concept of politics,” relate and explain the thinking of relevant past thinkers in areas other than politics.

gpt.iconThe phrase “enriching concepts” is not limited to politics, but is a theme that thinkers have explored in other domains as well. In this section, we will look at ideas related to “enriching concepts” in areas other than politics.

  • 1.Martin Heidegger - Ontological turn.

    • In Being and Time, Heidegger worked to enrich the concept of “existence. He reconsidered “existence,” which had been treated ambiguously in philosophy up to that time, to include “human existence” and “temporality” as well as the mere fact of “being. This is an attempt to reconsider the phenomenon from a pluralistic and deep perspective, rather than from a singular viewpoint, and is also consistent with our intention to enrich the concept of politics.
  • 2.Jean-François Lyotard - Postmodern Situation

  1. William James - pragmatism
    • James’ pragmatism is a flexible approach to understanding things without being bound by fixed concepts. He believed that “truth changes with experience” and stressed the importance of reconstructing concepts and theories in response to different situations and contexts. This translates to not being bound by fixed ideologies and dichotomies in politics, but rather acknowledging diverse approaches and enriching concepts.
    • As for pragmatism, it is actually spoken of from p. 298nishio.icon
  • 4.Gilbert Lyle - category error.

    • Ryle proposed the concept of “category illusion” in response to the mind-body dualism. This is the idea that in order to understand things correctly, we need to view them in the proper category or framework. By properly positioning different concepts and considering diverse perspectives, “richness” is created. This has much in common with a pluralistic understanding that transcends “divisions” in politics.
  • 5.Gilles Deleuze. - Rhizomatic thinking.

    • Deleuze proposed a way of thinking that sees things not as a linear tree structure, but as a myriad of “lysozyme (rhizome). This is a way of thinking that promotes a pluralistic and interconnected view rather than a single perspective. In politics, it also leads to “enrichment” in the sense of going beyond existing dichotomies and fixed concepts to explore new connections and possibilities.

The thoughts of these thinkers all relate to the theme of “enriching concepts” and the importance of not simplifying things and being flexible to diverse perspectives, values, and situations. These perspectives provide a foundation for building new relationships and understandings beyond the conflicts and dichotomies in politics.


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