Between eternity and nothingness
Philosophy discusses eternity and nothingness from time to time. Eternity does not mean unending time, but where time is transcended and becomes an image. Nothingness does not mean absence; the absence of a book which was in front of our eyes, or of a flower which was blooming the day before. It is the real nothing, the absolute nihility which cannot be spoken of or shown. You might say, ‘There’s no point in thinking about such things. We are actually living here and now in 2023 today.’ However, today, at this moment, it is impossible to capture the existence of oneself without involvement with eternity and nothingness. Why is that?
The Faculty of Letters, consisting of various disciplines such as humanities (philosophy, history, and literature), sociology, and psychology, does not provide direct answers to the problems we are facing today: environmental issues, infectious diseases, food energy, war, social discrepancies, and mental diseases. Solutions for these diverse and serious issues are unlikely to be offered by knowledge obtained at the Faculty of Letters. Nevertheless, we offer the very basic knowledge which can be acquired by seeing the world from a distance or taking a step back to think, which is necessary for a sound grasp of where we are and where we are heading. One who is entangled in a problem cannot see where one stands or what the problem is. Not only that, one does not even know who one is. Disciplines in the Faculty of Letters provide one with a broad viewpoint based on history and culture, which is necessary for thinking about what it means to live here and now. The ultimate is the perspective of eternity and nothingness.
‘But you’re speaking of ‘nothingness’, which you said cannot be spoken of. Isn’t that a contradiction?’ you may ask astutely, but philosophy and humanities are disciplines in which we attempt to speak of, see, or expect something which we cannot speak of, see, or expect. What makes this possible? Language as we possess it does. Language has a possible strength to change us and the world we live in. On the other hand, careless use of language will impoverish our life and society and make the world claustrophobic.
Facing the challenge of speaking of something which cannot be spoken of. Searching for an easy answer or behaving egoistically under the illusion that we understand things will lead us to lose something important in this world. Reframing the present we live in, this age, and the existence of humanity from the aspect of eternity. Recapturing Japan and the world where we live our lives from the viewpoint of nothingness. We are grappling with our lives in search for something somewhere between this eternity and nothingness. Let us think about what our being is at the Faculty of Letters together…to live a better life.
Noburu Notomi
56th Dean of the Faculty of Letters
