KUKI Shūzō and Platonism

The aesthetic system of Japanese philosopher KUKI Shūzō exposes the value systems at the heart of our current environmental crisis. Kuki’s anthropology and aesthetics stand in sharp contrast to the Platonic metaphysics that forms the historical basis of Western value schemes. By focusing on becoming and nothingness rather than the permanence of the forms, Kuki develops a philosophy in which the love of nature is the fundamental ground of value. This forms the basis of an environmental aesthetic and ethic in which human flourishing is ultimately tied to the good of the environment.