Q0658
“Ethics is, in the final analysis, the study of ningen — the…” — Watsuji Tetsuro (Rinrigaku (Yamamoto & Carter; SEP “Watsuji…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Rinrigaku (Yamamoto & Carter; SEP “Watsuji Tetsurō”). Theme: humanity.
English
Ethics is, in the final analysis, the study of ningen — the human person as both individual and social, as “betweenness.”
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Rinrigaku (Yamamoto & Carter; SEP “Watsuji Tetsurō”) 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 Watsuji Tetsuro
Watsuji Tetsurō (1889–1960) was a Japanese ethicist associated with Kyoto intellectual life who criticized Heidegger for privileging temporality and the isolated individual. Climate and Culture (Fūdo) and the multi-volume Rinrigaku relocate ethics in betweenness (aidagara) and in the spatial-climatic milieu that shapes persons.
How to read this passage
Philosophers ask what makes humans distinctive, what we owe one another as humans, and how “humanity” can include or exclude. This passage enters that discussion through humanity, self, society.
Concepts in this quote
- Humanity
- Humanity names both the species and the moral quality of being humane—bridging anthropology and ethics.
- Self
- Philosophy quotes about self explore identity, responsibility, and the examined life—from Socrates’ unexamined life to modern phenomenology and existential authenticity.
- Society
- Society is the web of institutions, customs, and mutual expectations in which individual freedom takes shape.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Watsuji Tetsuro. (n.d.). Ethics is, in the final analysis, the study of ningen — the human person as both individual and social, as “betweenness.” In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0658
MLA: Watsuji Tetsuro. “Ethics is, in the final analysis, the study….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0658.
Chicago: Watsuji Tetsuro. “Ethics is, in the final analysis, the study….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0658.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Ethics is, in the final analysis, the study…”?
The passage is attributed to Watsuji Tetsuro, Rinrigaku (Yamamoto & Carter; SEP “Watsuji Tetsurō”). The archive attributes this English wording to Rinrigaku (Yamamoto & Carter; SEP “Watsuji Tetsurō”) 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 Watsuji Tetsuro mean by humanity?
Philosophers ask what makes humans distinctive, what we owe one another as humans, and how “humanity” can include or exclude. This passage enters that discussion through humanity, self, society.