Q0649
“There must be an overturning, a radical conversion of mind, in any…” — Nishida Kitaro ("The Logic of the Place of…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: "The Logic of the Place of Nothingness and the Religious Worldview, " in Last Writings (Dilworth, p. 91). Theme: god.
English
There must be an overturning, a radical conversion of mind, in any religion. Without it there is no religion.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to "The Logic of the Place of Nothingness and the Religious Worldview, " in Last Writings (Dilworth, p. 91) and files it under Kyoto School. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Nishida Kitaro
Nishida Kitarō (1870–1945) founded the Kyoto School at Kyoto Imperial University, forging a modern Japanese philosophy in dialogue with James, Bergson, Neo-Kantianism, and Zen practice. An Inquiry into the Good (1911) made ‘pure experience’ his early keystone; later essays develop the logic of basho (place) and absolute nothingness.
How to read this passage
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Maimonides and Saadia Gaon), god is framed through Jewish Rationalism and Islamic Philosophy. Some passages define god; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through god.
Concepts in this quote
- God
- God appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat god as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Nishida Kitaro. (n.d.). There must be an overturning, a radical conversion of mind, in any religion. Without it there is no religion. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0649
MLA: Nishida Kitaro. “There must be an overturning, a radical conversion….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0649.
Chicago: Nishida Kitaro. “There must be an overturning, a radical conversion….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0649.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “There must be an overturning, a radical conversion…”?
The passage is attributed to Nishida Kitaro, "The Logic of the Place of Nothingness and the Religious Worldview, " in Last Writings (Dilworth, p. 91). The archive attributes this English wording to "The Logic of the Place of Nothingness and the Religious Worldview, " in Last Writings (Dilworth, p. 91) and files it under Kyoto School. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Nishida Kitaro mean by god?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Maimonides and Saadia Gaon), god is framed through Jewish Rationalism and Islamic Philosophy. Some passages define god; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through god.