Research Highlights

My specialization is in modern British ethical thought. During my master’s program, I studied the ethical thought of German philosopher Immanuel Kant, whose interest in the debates of the British moralists of his time led me to explore their writings as well. Their works were so fascinating that I made modern British ethical thought the focus of my doctorate, and I have been studying the debates of the modern British moralists ever since.

The first subject of my research was the moralist debate over “conscience.” Modern British theory on conscience came about in the 17th century, reached its zenith in the 18th century, and waned in the 19th century. I tried to understand why by tracing its rise and fall. It was then that I discovered that "selfishness/self-interest (self-love)" existed within the context of the rise and fall of the theory conscience, which I summarized in my doctoral thesis, Rise and Fall of Conscience: A study in Modern British Moral Philosophy (Ryōshin no kōbō: kindai igirisu dōtoku tetsugaku kenkyū, Nakanishiyashuppan, 2003).

The next research topic I tackled was the moralist debate over selfishness. However, as soon as I began my research, I felt that I needed a more complete understanding of modern British ethical thought. In preparing for my research, I examined the debates of the major moralists on the common themes of human nature, passion and reason, and happiness and ideals, the results of which I published as in my introductory primer British Moralists (Igirisu no morarisutotachi, Kenkyusha, 2009).

Through writing this primer, I realized the issue of selfishness was a central issue in modern British ethical thought and that the only way to discuss it would be to write a complete history. To this end, I divided modern British ethical thought into the three fields of “morality,” “humanity,” and “society,” tracing the trajectory of debates by moralists in each, which I outline in my book A History of Ethical Thought in Modern Britain (Kindai igirisu rinri shisōshi, Nakanishiyashuppan, 2020).

I believe that writing primers and surveys has enabled me to paint a somewhat general picture of ethical thought in modern Britain. However, my research on the moralist debate over selfishness has been slow-going. As my understanding has deepened, so has the mystery. I am still feeling my way as to how I should make sense of this debate on the whole, but I hope to spend the remainder of my years tying up the loose ends in my research.

(2022/4/1)