- Introduction
Taiwan, also known as Formosa, was under Japanese rule from 1895 to 1945. A number of Taiwanese philosophers engaged with philosophy in Japan and wrote philosophical works in Japanese. One of these philosophers is Hung Yao-hsün (1903–1986), who studied philosophy at Tokyo Imperial University and began his career at Taihoku Imperial University. In this special issue, we have included a translation of his article "A Cultural Perspective Based On Fūdo—in Connection to the Fūdo of Taiwan" and some articles on his philosophy. Without doubt, Hung was influenced by Watsuji Tetsurō, who coined the notion of Fūdo. According to Fujita Masakatsu, Hung was also influenced by Mutai Risaku, who used to be his colleague in Taipei, and was interested in the works of Nishida Kitarō, Tanabe Hajime, Kuki Shuzō, and Miki Kiyoshi. Liao Chin-ping provides us with some details on how Hung and Tanabe understood the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. Shino Yoshinobu and Hung Tzu-Wei also give us some accounts on how we can understand the historical and philosophical contexts of Hung's philosophy. Readers may also find a book review of Existential Engagement: Philosophy in Taiwan, the Japanese Era, a book written on Taiwanese philosophy in Chinese.
As mentioned by Hung, "Any individual existence within a social circle is not simply independent and marked by its own particular distinctions; at the same time it will share—or be a part of—certain unifying elements and thus form a relation of belonging together (zusammengehören)." We are social-historical beings, and have to face various existential crises.
In 2021, the world is still suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. With social distancing and lockdowns in action, we have been experiencing isolation and frustration, or even facing matters of life and death. We may not be working on the philosophy of crisis, but indeed we are all facing the crisis of philosophy. [End Page 1]