Enclosed Outside Japan

Enclosed Outside Japan
2006.04.27 2:45

It was probably 1984 or 5 still I was an undergraduate student when French philosopher Jacques Derrida came to Japan to see Akira Asada, Kojin Karatani. In their talk, Derrida used French and English, Asada used French, English and Japanese, Karatani used English and Japanese. Anyway they were able to communicate whatever the tool of communication might be. In their conversation, Karatani said, 'The extremely rapid growth of Japan's capitalism that has been taking place right now is as a phenomenon an extraordinary thing, so I can't help enclose inside Japan all the more.' Derrida's replay was this, 'I'd like to rather enclose outside Japan.'
Both Philosophers were seeking for what the nature of capitalism in progress worldwide those days, but their objective of study was different.
Derrida was gone, but Karatani is now in America. For those who are interested, here're some links.
Nationalism And Ecriture On Kant And Marx
List all Journal entries
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
I am willing to help test Slashdot's New Discussion System.
Enclosed Outside Japan Preferences Top 7 comments Search Discussion
Display OptionsThreshold: -1: 7 comments 0: 7 comments 1: 7 comments 2: 4 comments 3: 0 comments 4: 0 comments 5: 0 comments Flat Nested No Comments Threaded Oldest First Newest First Highest Scores First Oldest First (Ignore Threads) Newest First (Ignore Threads) Save:
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
And to think I just read an article in Asian Times(Score:2)
by Marxist Hacker 42 (638312) * <seebert@aracnet.com> on 2006.04.27 3:17 (#15206450) (http://www.informationr.us/ Last Journal: 2006.11.02 6:19)
That claimed that Japan was failing at capitalism- and is currently experiencing a very swift reversion to feudalism- seen mainly by a high unemployment rate and professional Gen-Xers thrown onto the welfare system, even as an unamed "economic recovery" shows the nation growing richer. Of course, this is the ultimate cost of privatization: concentration of wealth in the hands of the few at the expense of the many.
--Any experiment run by human beings will discover a scientific truth compatible with the biases of the human involved.
Re:And to think I just read an article in Asian Ti(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.04.27 3:49 (#15206668) (http://www.blogger.com/profile/11854854 Last Journal: 2006.11.05 0:19)
Yes, we are heading for feudalism again. I have no idea as to how to escape from this process unless I myself feel eager to seek for wealth. Am I corrupted?
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Parent ]
Re:And to think I just read an article in Asian Ti(Score:2)
by Marxist Hacker 42 (638312) * <seebert@aracnet.com> on 2006.04.27 3:57 (#15206725) (http://www.informationr.us/ Last Journal: 2006.11.02 6:19)
Yes, we are heading for feudalism again. I have no idea as to how to escape from this process unless I myself feel eager to seek for wealth. Am I corrupted? Money is power- and power corrupts. The problem with capitalism is that being eager to seek wealth isn't enough- nowhere close. Most people living under capitalism seek wealth. The problem is to actually find wealth, you need wealth- it's a chicken-and-egg problem. That's why capitalism eventually breaks down into corporatism and feudalism- because there isn't enough wealth to start out with.
--Any experiment run by human beings will discover a scientific truth compatible with the biases of the human involved.
[ Parent ]
Re:And to think I just read an article in Asian Ti(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.04.27 4:19 (#15206866) (http://www.blogger.com/profile/11854854 Last Journal: 2006.11.05 0:19)
In our current society the very rich get richer, the so so rich get poorer, the poor become very poor. This process is just gathering speed very rapidly. If things unchanged as it is, we have another Middle Ages again. I observed that this is inevitable and we cannot change the course of direction toward this. Within two or three years many things will change.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Parent ]
Re:And to think I just read an article in Asian Ti(Score:2)
by Marxist Hacker 42 (638312) * <seebert@aracnet.com> on 2006.04.27 6:11 (#15207805) (http://www.informationr.us/ Last Journal: 2006.11.02 6:19)
Reversing the direction of the flow of wealth isn't very hard- it's just very painful. Truman and Eisenhower showed us how- and between them created the first non-agricultural middle class the world had ever seen. Their method? High marginal income taxes. In 1953 America, 93% income taxes were common, to pay back bonds from the war. By doing this, the spendible income of the very rich was checked. Likewise they put in the first minimum wage the United States had ever seen- which limited the income of the poor as well, so that the rich man could only earn 8x what the poor man earned. Standard market economics took over from there- luxury goods suffered a major deflationary period, neccessity items experienced inflation in their prices- and the postwar housing boom insured that returning GIs could afford a house.This created the world our parents grew up in- Japan experienced something similar in the late 1970s and early 1980s. But such tax rates are not sustainable- and once relaxed, the road of the rich becoming richer and the poor getting poorer returns rather quickly.
--Any experiment run by human beings will discover a scientific truth compatible with the biases of the human involved.
[ Parent ]
Re:And to think I just read an article in Asian Ti(Score:1)
by mercedo (822671) * on 2006.05.01 3:15 (#15232707) (http://www.blogger.com/profile/11854854 Last Journal: 2006.11.05 0:19)
I think... it is much easier for us to try to be superrich rather than trying to realise a just and fair society. I'm not saying it's bad, but it's just difficult. In peace time the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. War will occur when their chasm is unbearably widened. Human history is a repetition of the mistake.
--Ancient Greek Philosophers -18c Enlightenment Thinkers -Slashdotters
[ Parent ]
Re:And to think I just read an article in Asian Ti(Score:2)
by Marxist Hacker 42 (638312) * <seebert@aracnet.com> on 2006.05.02 4:46 (#15239758) (http://www.informationr.us/ Last Journal: 2006.11.02 6:19)
I think... it is much easier for us to try to be superrich rather than trying to realise a just and fair society. I'm not saying it's bad, but it's just difficult. In peace time the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. War will occur when their chasm is unbearably widened. Human history is a repetition of the mistake. The easier part is that trying to be superrich is a rare (.00003% of the human race will achieve this, worldwide) but INDIVIDUAL accomplishment (regardless of the fact that by these numbers, you need a MINIMUM of 3500 people to give you the profits of their work in return for having work to do, to achieve this. NOTHING less will do). A Just and Fair society requires cooperation and honesty instead of pulling a con job on 3500 people.
--Any experiment run by human beings will discover a scientific truth compatible with the biases of the human involved.