A milestone in Japan's post-war philosophical thought and a dramatic turning point in Tanabe's own philosophy, Philosophy as Metanoetics calls for nothing less than a complete and radical rethinking of the philosophical task itself. It is a powerful, original work, showing vast erudition in all areas of both Eastern and Western thought.

Tanabe Hajime, 1885-1962, inherited the Chair of Philosophy at Kyoto University from Nishida Kitaro. The author of many important books and essays, Tanabe lived a life—as a thinker, teacher, and writer—of the utmost simplicity. This is the first of his book-length works to be translated into English.

"One of the most original, creative, and important philosophical texts to have emerged from what has become known as the 'Kyoto School' of Japanese Buddhism. . . . A monumental work in the philosophy of religion. Along with the writings of Nishida Kitaro and Nishitani Keiji, Tanabe's thought is another major achievement to arise from the tradition of modern Japanese philosophy."—Steve Odin, Japanese Journal of Religious Studies

"Tanabe's agenda was not religious but philosophical in that he tried to integrate Eastern and Western insights in order to acquire a cross-cultural philosophical vision for the post-war world community. . . . This book shows his superior philosophical originality. . . . It is high time that Tanabe's thought should be introduced to the West."—Joseph Kitagawa, University of Chicago