Gerald Nelson
Doctoral Candidate in Philosophy
Sparks Fellow (2024-2025)
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellow (2022)
Websites
Education
B.A., Hons [Philosophy], Vanderbilt University
Professional Bio
Publications
Journal Articles
- “A Nishitanian Ethics of Sympathy,” The Journal of East Asian Philosophy. https://rdcu.be/dH4JG
- “The Fact of Doubt: Nishida’s Rereading of Descartes” (forthcoming)
Translations
- Translation from Japanese to English of Nishida Kitarō’s “On the Philosophy of Descartes,” (forthcoming)
Research Statement
I specialize in Asian Philosophy (esp. The Kyoto School) and 20th century continental philosophy (esp. Levinas).
My areas of competence include critical philosophy of race, Caribbean philosophy, and Japanese aesthetics.
I am engaged primarily in three ongoing research trajectories:
1) Constructing various approaches to ethics based on the thought of Kyoto School philosopher Nishitani Keiji. The start of this project can be seen in my article "A Nishitanian Ethics of Sympathy." https://rdcu.be/dH4JG
2) Understanding how Levinas's approach to Talmudic exegesis can applied to drawing out concrete normative implications from his ethics.
3) Understanding the cultivation of moral sensibility in Japanese aesthetics.
