Japan and the Enemies of Open Political Science PDF
Preview Japan and the Enemies of Open Political Science
Japan and the enemies of open political science ‘This is an ambitious, controversial, ground-breaking and timely book…It deploys a cross-disciplinary scholarship of exceptional range and depth to argue a position of considerable importance— that the Japanese achievement warrants making a significant revision of western social science so as to correct the Eurocentric biases that are inherent in its dominant methodologies…’ John Gray, Fellow, Jesus College, University of Oxford The central argument of Japan and the Enemies of Open Political Science is that Eurocentric blindness is not a moral but a scientific failing. In this wide-ranging critique of western social science, Anglo-American philosophy and French theory, Williams works on the premise that Japan is the most important political system of our time. He also explains why social scientists have been so keen to ignore or denigrate Japan’s achievements. If social science is to meet the needs of the ‘Pacific Century’, it requires a sustained act of intellectual demolition and subsequent renewal. David Williams is Senior Research Fellow in Japanese Politics at the School of East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield. He is the author of Japan: Beyond the End of History (Routledge 1994). Japan and the enemies of open political science David Williams London and New York First published 1996 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 © 1996 David Williams All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-203-42775-0 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-73599-4 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-415-11130-7 (hbk) ISBN 0-415-11131-5 (pbk) This book is, and has been since my youth, more precious than country and kin and public advancement—indeed, for me, it is these things. Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander For my parents and for St Antony’s College, Oxford where this book began to take shape Contents Preface xi Acknowledgements xxiii Glossary xxv Japanese conventions and English usage xxviii Part I Japan: the splendour of its prime 1 Japan and the European political canon 3 2 Where are the masters? 15 Part II Japanese greatness and the European inheritance Science 3 Positivism 51 4 Empiricism 97 5 Orientalism 140 Words 6 Languages 157 7 Criticism 172 8 Readers 198 Thought 9 Philosophies 217 ix
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