GlitchSlapTko

A little while back I penned something on a new Japanese acquaintance of mine who is getting his PHD in Philosophy at one of the (in)famous 'Ivy League' Japanese schools. What can I say? I like his brain, and he appears to be fond of mine. A match made in Tokyo! Anyway, I'm posting up another recent email that he sent me (slightly unedited), that contains some interesting insights. Think 'the conjunction of philosopy and Japanese psycho-cultural biology as misinterpreted by the West'. I hope you enjoy peering over my shoulder as I peer over his shoulder as...
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Robert,
I have no problem with being blogged. I enjoy seeing me blogged.
You have so cool blog page. I just took a browse, grinned several
times and was compelled to consider [what you wrote about the]
Japanese things a little, because you have good [in]sight on [them].
Especially in consideration to Japanese language and politics...stimulating.
I like discussing these things over drinks.

By the way, I'm convinced one title of my books in the future should be
'Phenomenology of Japanese mind' ala Hegel's book (smile).
My opinion is that Japanese are experiencing the mental process of
modernization everyday. We've never finished it and still have a
pre-modern mind deep inside. It's absolutely different from the western
mind.

Some French thinker, for example, Kojeve, Derrida, and Baudrillard
totally misunderstood the Japanese situation as 'post-historical' or
'post-modern', and [simply] flattered Japanese culture and society. They
didn't know the real Japanese. Even more foolishly, some Japanese
intellectuals believe the observations of the French intelligentsia without
any profound reflection. 'Oh, we are post-modern! We are in fashion!!'.
It sounds foolish, doesn't it?

The superficial modernized of Japanese mind is something like what
should be kept by perpetual external pressures. Mind structure is
built with language system unconsciously. Sorry, I have to skip many
theoretical steps here, but a hypothetical central element which binds
up the language's autonomies is consequently needed. Possibly I can
say it's the 'currency', refering to Lacan.

I know that true mind of history and modern is fundamentally
connected with religion as Max Weber theorized. Real modernization
requires in humans a profound inner reformation and being structured.
Lacan called it 'symbolic castration'. I don't think modernization and modern
mind are definitely right. However, we are in modern age anyway.
I'm sure I need to analyze Japanese modern mind structure if which causes
Japanese specific comedy and tragedy everyday. I'll just call it...Ethics.

Sorry for my poor English, maybe more mistakes than ever,
because I wrote it quickly. En attendant boire avec toi...

Regards,
XXX