Toward the Ideal of a World Civilization: Progressive Exploration by Japanese Scholars

Authors

Kōji Yoshino

Keywords

civilization, comparison, culture

Abstract

What kind of academic discipline is the comparative study of civilizations? To begin with, it can be described as a scientific field that takes civilization as its object of study, researching the various civilizations of the world, both ancient and modern, Eastern and Western, through the method of comparison. However, what exactly is this object of study, "civilization"? Specifically, to what does it refer? Furthermore, when we speak of "comparison," what kind of method does this entail? It is difficult to provide clear answers to these numerous questions. The primary reason for this difficulty stems from the inherent polysemy and ambiguity of “civilization” itself. It goes without saying that many predecessors have diligently refined the comparative study of civilizations. Limiting our scope to Japan alone, we can see a diverse range of achievements, such as those presented in Fifty Figures in the Comparative Study of Civilizations (Ogura, ed., 2024). Observing the intellectual endeavors of these pioneers, one is struck by the realization that civilization is a subject of immense geographical breadth and spiritual depth, demanding to be addressed with a long-term perspective that spans the entirety of human history.

Recommended Citation

Yoshino, Kōji (2026) "Toward the Ideal of a World Civilization: Progressive Exploration by Japanese Scholars," Comparative Civilizations Review: Vol. 94: No. 94, Article 8.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr/vol94/iss94/8