Ästhetik und japanische Moderne

Aesthetics is more than just a theory of beauty. By their very nature, aesthetic categories are hermeneutic: Our understanding of the world begins with our sensory encounter with it. An examination of Japanese aesthetics sheds light on facets of our encounter with the world which are neglected in European discourse. In-depth studies on Mono no Aware, Iki and Kire show how intercultural exchange has both created the mysterious image of Japan and found a language for the untranslatable. Thereby, the question is also discussed whether Japan has fallen victim to aestheticisation or whether aestheticisation is not exactly what philosophical discourse needs.