This five-day summer school, held at the University of Antwerp, offers an intensive exploration of the interplay between mortality, desire, and decay in Japanese ethics and aesthetics. The course centers on philosophical inquiry while integrating insights from literature and contemporary art (including bioart and microbial art) to provide a nuanced understanding of its themes across historical and contemporary contexts. Participants will examine how concepts of death, desire, and decay shape ethical thought and aesthetic expression in Japanese philosophy and culture, while drawing comparisons with Western perspectives.
The programme will explore the following key themes:
- General conceptual introduction to impermanence (mujo, mono no aware) and decay in Japanese thought, providing foundational historical context.
- Intersections with process philosophy (notably Alfred North Whitehead’s ideas), highlighting resonances between Whitehead’s emphasis on flux and East Asian conceptions of constant change.
- The cultural concept of kawaii (“cuteness”) and its ethical-aesthetic implications, examining how notions of innocence and charm coexist with themes of desire and ephemerality in modern Japanese culture.
- Shinto perspectives on impermanence and decay, and how ritual aesthetics embrace natural cycles of transience and renewal.
- Examinations of death and desire in Japanese literature.
- Philosophical insights from Watsuji Tetsurō and Nishitani Keiji, focusing on their treatment of nothingness, community, and the temporality of human existence in relation to ethics and mortality.
- Perspectives from contemporary art (bioart, microbial art) that render life cycles and decay as aesthetic experiences.
Throughout the programme, guest lectures by renowned international scholars will provide diverse expert viewpoints on these topics. Through lectures, interactive seminar-style discussions, and interdisciplinary case studies, participants will deepen their understanding of how Japanese philosophical traditions grapple with themes of death, desire, and decay.
Target group
The summer school is designed for PhD students and Master students with a background in philosophy, arts or similar.
Participants should have some educational background in philosophy. Experience in Japanese philosophy is not required.
Campus
This summer school takes place at Stadscampus (Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp) of the University of Antwerp. This campus is located in the city centre.
Micro-credential and study credits (ECTS)
6 ECTS credits are awarded upon successful completion of the programme (including all assessment tasks). Credits will be awarded by the University of Antwerp on the base of attending the preparatory track, minimum 80 % (active) participation during the course and group work and submission of an individual paper after the course.
To include the credits in the curriculum at the home institution, participants need an agreement with the responsible person at their university. University of Antwerp students eligible to include the ECTS credits as part of their study programme must register via Mobility Online and SisA.
All certificates of completion are issued as a micro-credential. Participants who attend the scheduled course contact hours, but don't complete the tasks will receive a certificate of attendance.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of key concepts in Japanese ethics and aesthetics related to impermanence, desire, and decay (e.g., mujo, mono no aware, kawaii)
- Describe and contextualise major philosophical contributions of selected Japanese philosophers, and relevant aspects of Shinto thought regarding mortality, relationality, and transience.
- Identify and outline points of convergence and divergence between Japanese philosophical traditions and selected Western approaches, particularly process philosophy.
- Analyse literary, artistic, and philosophical sources to interpret how themes of death, desire, and decay are articulated across historical and contemporary Japanese contexts.
- Critically compare Japanese and Western conceptualisations of impermanence and selfhood, drawing on interdisciplinary materials
- Evaluate contemporary artistic practices (bioart, microbial art) in terms of their aesthetic, ethical, and philosophical significance.