[About the Book]

ーWhat would the wisest minds in history think about the modern world?-

Written for younger readers, this book takes on fundamental questions such as existence, God, and the world from a wide range of perspectives-not only philosophy, but also biology, literature, and the arts. Tracing the ideas of great thinkers such as Socrates, Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault, it reveals how human beings are part of nature itself, living alongside other creatures within the delicate balance of complex ecosystems.

At the same time, the book explores Japanese literature-including the Noh masterpiece Sumidagawa, Ugetsu Monogatari, and the Kokin Wakashūーto examine the deeper meanings behind seemingly unscientific elements such as ghosts and nenbutsu. Through these works, it delves into enduring human questions of “falsehood and truth” and “good and evil.”

An intellectually rich yet warm work of philosophy, this book invites all readers to reconsider contemporary society and to reflect anew on how they choose to live.

[Author Biography]
Tomoo Naka

Born in 1938 in Kutchan, Hokkaidō; around the age of eight he developed tuberculosis of the hip joint, and while enrolled at Sapporo Minami High School he also contracted pulmonary tuberculosis, resulting in a four-year interruption of his studies.
Graduated in 1964 from the Sapporo Campus of Hokkaidō Gakugei University (now the Hokkaidō University of Education); thereafter taught art, social studies, and other subjects at junior high schools in Muroran City and, as a part-time instructor, at an evening high school.

Book: What Is Beauty? - The Crisis of Beauty and Humankind Brought About by Modern Civilization (Ikufūsha, Heisei 17 [2005]); selected by the Japan Library Association.