The Kyoto School and J.F. Herbart

Abstract

In this essay is focused on a comparative examination of the renowned Kyoto School of Philosophy and German education philosopher Johann Friedrich Herbart (1776-1841). The Kyoto School, and in particular its progenitor, Kitaro Nishida (1870-1945), was deeply influenced both directly and indirectly by Herbart, who is commonly known as the “father of modern pedagogy.” In particular, I refer to Nishida’s focus on Herbart’s monolithic worldview of Realism and his emphasis on refinement of the sense of touch in his practice-based theory of learning. In Nishida’s philosophy, this is the notion of the “logic of place.”