ブックタイトルRILAS 早稲田大学総合人文科学研究センター研究誌

概要

RILAS 早稲田大学総合人文科学研究センター研究誌

WASEDA RILAS JOURNAL NO. 3 (2015. 10)現在、あらためて≪人文学≫を問う現いま在、あらためて≪人文学≫を問う安酸敏眞Making a New Inquiry into the“Humanities”Toshimasa YASUKATAAbstractThe“humanities”exist at the intersection of scholarly and cultural learning, and usually include the studyof languages, literature, history, and philosophy. However, this traditional field is now at a crossroads.Some argue that the era of humanist education, which previously educated youths by the reading of classicalor culturally important books, has come to an end. In fact, it has been declared that humanities and thecelebrated ideal of humanitas have finished playing an important role. Others boldly advocate a turn to“digital humanities”, a field that takes advantage of the advances found in digital technology. Thus, thequestion of the humanities as a field is currently a fascinating topic.Within the context of these discussions, I consider the issues at stake, in order to prescribe a methodthrough which the humanities could regain their strength and relevance. In addition, since we are living in anage of globalization, I advocate breaching the barrier between the East and the West within the humanities.Although admittedly not erudite throughout the entire range of this scholarly field, I nonetheless re-conceiveit in a new and creative fashion. I therefore refer to Boeckh’s formula of“the knowledge of what is known”(die Erkenntnis des Erkannten), as well as to Ernst Cassirer’s original view of the human being.In contrast to the natural sciences, the humanities inquire into each cultural phenomenon related to humanbeings. They strive to understand what the human spirit has produced, and to attain that knowledge.Therefore, the humanities are concerned with a self-referential understanding/knowledge of what is known.These activities, however, are based upon the definition of human beings as“???????????????????,”a definitionthat Cassirer paraphrased as the novel idea of“animal symbolicum.”Hence, one can characterize thehumanities as human beings’self-reflexive and interpretive efforts to understand themselves and their owncultures.はじめに筆者はキリスト教学(Christian Studies)の専門家であって、≪人文学≫に関してはディレッタントにすぎない。しかし学部長時代に人文学部のカリキュラム改革を主導した関係上、新たに設けた必修科目(「人文学概論」)の講義を担当せざるを得なくなり、そのため急遽『人文学概論―新しい人文学の地平を求めて』(知泉書館、2014年)を書き下ろした。この小著は、本来、自分の授業のための教科書を意図したものであったが、類書がないこともあってか、幅広い読者の間に意外な反響を呼ぶことになった。今回のシンポジウムへのお招きも、自分にとって予想外の出来事であった。以上のような次第で、≪人文学≫の専門家というわけではないが、ささやかな学究の歩みを踏まえて、若干の問題提起をしてみたい。わが国における人文学および人文学部の現状最初に、わが国における人文学部の歴史と状況に245