Kashio Naoki. Spirituality as a Way: The Wisdom of Japan

Kyoto University Press, 2021. — 475 р. — ISBN 978-1-925608-08-3Contemporary society is riddled with problems, ranging from poverty, economic and educational disparities, incurable diseases, aging populations, immigration and the exclusion of minorities to environmental disasters brought on by global warming. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated problems of health and economic inequity.
Unfortunately, 20th century market capitalism and popular democracy have proven ineffective in addressing these problems, worsened by nationalism and protectionism. Amid the value relativism of postmodern thought, neoliberalism, communitarianism and multiculturalism too offer inadequate responses.
What can be done to move beyond this stagnant situation? This book approaches this question from the unique civilization of Japan, using the keywords ‘spirituality’ and ‘Way’.1