[Year of Japan] Lectures by Professor Hirotsugu Yamajo
Hirotsugu Yamajo is a professor of French literature at Osaka University
During his visit to the UPHF, he will give two lectures open to all.
Tuesday 17 November, 3.30 pm–5.00 pm
What is an ‘ideal death’ (Montaigne, Pascal)?
‘To die cowardly and feebly’: contemplating death, living in the present according to Montaigne and Pascal
This lecture examines the clash between Montaigne and Pascal on the subject of death, starting with Pascal’s criticism of Montaigne for wishing to ‘die cowardly and passively’. Montaigne, who initially advocated meditating on death, comes to favour a life lived to the full in the present. Pascal, on the other hand, denounces this ‘nonchalance towards salvation’ and urges people to hope for another life. Yet this hope also transforms the way we live here on earth. Thus, despite their differences, the two thinkers agree on the importance of the present, whilst attributing different meanings to it.
Wednesday 18 November, 9.00 am–11.00 am
Pascal’s Reception in Japan Over the Past Century
Kiyoshi Miki and A Study of Man in Pascal : the origins of the reception of Pascal in Japan
This lecture examines Kiyoshi Miki’s role in the reception of Pascal in Japan, through his A Study of Man in Pascal (1926). Influenced in particular by Heidegger, Miki interprets the Thoughts as a reflection on human existence, in which an awareness of death and ‘religious anxiety’ lead to a search for God. This original interpretation, however, tends to underestimate the difficulties involved in the transition from anthropology to the Christian faith. A comparison with a contemporary interpretation, more focused on everyday life, highlights how the reception of Pascal in Japan has evolved over the past century.
