Abstract

There have been two major approaches to Nishida’s logical thought, one is logical analysis using formal logic, the other is historical elucidation that mostly draws on dialectical logic. These have previously been considered to be completely incompatible in Nishida studies. Here I explore the complementary relation between the two camps and focus on the way Nishida pursues meanings of language with his theory of self-awareness. I elucidate how the concept of bidirectionality, formerly not considered relevant to logic, gives foundation to his so-called logic of place. This result, substantially different from the previous ones, suggests the invalidity of the previous two approaches.