일본의 초기 제국주의론과 도덕 담론 ― 국가적 도덕과 세계적 도덕, 또는 국민적 입장과 인류적 입장 ―

Abstract

At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, under the influence of European philosophy, Japan generated a lively discussion about the development of morals. This paper examines the details of this discussion and clarifies its relationship to the initial theory of imperialism. For the thinkers involved in the discussion, the social fabric became the reference point for moral judgment; they explained the development of morality by examining the family and seeing the family as analogous to the house and then to the nation. At that time, the rest of the world was excluded from the aspired moral goal because, unlike other social areas, a global perspective had not yet fully emerged. However, some realized that focusing only on the nation smacked of narrow-minded nationalism—an immature perspective. Thus, considering the discussion necessary to the national interest and interests of mankind, thinkers and philosophers wavered between national and global morals Utilitarianism, for which “the greatest happiness of the greatest number” is a fundamental axiom, held an important position in this discussion. Whether utilitarian thinking assumes society to be the nation or the world is extremely important. In the case of the former, a nation acts for the happiness and well-being of its state and people, even to the detriment of other nations. Among those involved in the discussion was Hiroyuki Kato, who staunchly supported national selfishness along the lines described by social evolutionists. However, he gradually accepted the idea that people, although grounded in selfishness, do exert an altruistic attitude. Kato defined “tactical altruism” as selfish altruism; however, this thinking was criticized as being completely devoid of morality. In fact, the thoughts of Tanzan Ishibashi stem directly from Kato’s notion of tactical altruism, namely, rejecting the perspective of morality. In the context of the First World War, and from the perspective that “self-benefit” was in the true interests of Japan, Ishibashi finally advocated abandoning the colonies and embracing the small-Japan principle. The similarity of Kato and Ishibashi’s ideas extended only as far as the conclusion of self-benefit: criticizing Imperialism was held above morality. Furthermore, this paper discusses the theory of imperialism of Inazou Nitobe and Kazutami Ukita, dressed in the armor of morality. Their theory of imperialism—and the utilitarian thought from which it was molded—has now been absorbed into the contemporary discussion on the development of morality. Indeed, their theory is becoming a response to the ethical requirement of transcending the nation-state and approaching a global morality. The ideological practice of Hiroyuki Kato and the discussion of the development of morality that revolved around him was a god-sent child born from the opposition of the initial moralistic theory of imperialism, and the later tactical altruism, derived from the thinking of the famed Tanzan Ishibashi as an influential critic of imperialism.