For the second Dirt and Disorder Studies research seminar, we will be joined by the philosopher Furuta Tetsuya. The author of such works as, Wittengenstein: Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Wittengenstein for Beginners, Philosophy of the Spirit of Language and A Lecture on Immoral Ethics, Furuta Tetsuya will talk to us about everyday language and the philosophy of everyday life, in addition to luck and unpredictability.

The temporal and spatial dimensions of the everyday, supported by routine and directed towards the maintenance of life and all related things, is strongly connected to the concept of order. This is an area which is inseparable from the physicality of individuals and the materiality of things - whether that be food, clothing, sleep, or the maintenance of cleanliness - and is constantly in operation in alongside a process of 'dirtying', meaning that it is a field in which the avoidance of dirt is enacted at all times.

How, then, are luck and serendipity, by definition impossible to predict, connected to this idea of the everyday? When we call a singular, unique, occurrence, fundamentally resistant to categorisation, a 'happening', what does this show us about the everyday in tandem with unpredictability, that is, an even-keeled everyday which holds 'happenings' within it?

We look forward to this chance to think about these issues alongside Furuta Tetsuya.

　　Time and date：3rd July 2021, 14.00~

　　Guest speaker：Furuta Tetsuya

　　Format： ZOOM

※）This research seminar has been supported by the JSPS research fund JP21K01082.

Tomoko Sakai

Translated from Japanese by Oscar Wrenn

Our 2^rd research seminar, held online through zoom, was joined by our four research group members in addition to three further participants. Following introductions by each of the participants on their individual research interests, guest speaker Furuta Tetsuya gave a talk on the issues of dirtiness and moral luck, framing the seminar discussion.

Furuta began his talk with a famous saying from Kankichi Ryotsu (known as Ryo-san), the main character of the manga series KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops (Akimoto Osamu, Shueisha): ‘Entrance exams, job hunting, weddings, they’re all basically gambling!’. Ryo-san is a character known for being flippant and irresponsible, someone soon to resort to cheating and scams, and in many ways the personification of immorality. Despite this, the fact that Ryo-san is often compared to a cockroach is not simply because of his indecency and uncleanliness, but also because he is a tenacious character filled with a hunger for success; it is this element of humanity that makes Ryo-san an interesting character imbued with a level of human warmth.

This image of Ryo-san is, of course, an exaggeration. Within it, however, can be seen something not dealt with in the world and language of the ideal ‘wise man’ that philosophy and religion have long been concerned. As Furuta stated in his talk, ‘When we take those elements of luck or Ryo-san-like facets present in our daily life to be things that should be cut loose, do we not alienate ourselves from our own humanity?’; ‘is philosophy, at least, not able to weave together a language which returns us to an everyday that includes these elements of luck and “dirtiness”?’. Referring to the writings of Wittgenstein, and specifically his statement ‘Back to the rough ground!’, Furuta suggested that accounts of actual everyday life as is can perhaps provide the spur for new descriptions of the everyday.

Following the talk, a stimulating discussion allowed us to explore many of the issues brought up by Furuta. Though there is not space here to cover all the points made in the discussion, the following are some highlighted examples.

• The points of similarity between luck and dirtiness were discussed. For example, the association of dirtiness to danger implies an element of unforeseeability, something that also characterises luck. They are both ‘outside order’, as well as deeply related to the subject of existence. Further examination is needed of the relationship between the two concepts.

• The concept of Bild (often translated from Wittgenstein’s work as picture), which Furuta has examined in his publication First Encounter with Wittgenstein, was discussed - is its existence as an image iconographic, linguistic, or something different entirely? Furthermore, the fact that this Bild is both positively and negatively indispensable for human understanding and thought was discussed.

• Is the attempt to describe as is those things unnoticed because of their constant presence in front of us something that philosophy is in a uniquely positioned to do?

• In the sorts of downtown areas associated with Ryo-san it is often possible to pick out forms of community order and value which differ from that which might be seen as ‘clean’. On the other hand, there are also casual, not easily describable domains outside of such order and value or shared symbolism, but which are nevertheless important for everyday life. The issue of how to write about this latter domain is related to the general theme proposed by Furuta. Furthermore, it was suggested that, whether in the field or through thought experiments, anthropology and philosophy are similar in the way they think through universal issues through individual examples, providing rich categorisation.

• The form of the ‘ancient hero’ before the advent of philosophy speaks, to some extent, to aspects of the character expressed by Ryo-san. It was suggested that there might be a form of virtue or ethics on a different dimension to our contemporary ethics and philosophy.

• Human ‘greatness’, as distinct from sainthood, involves, paradoxically, elements of weakness or fragility. It was suggested that this ‘greatness’ has been narrated and passed down continuously from ancient times, and this hasn’t necessarily been lost in the present day.

• It was felt that the difference between luck and fate has, in recent times, been ‘levelled’ and diluted. Though in contemporary society everything can be discussed as an issue of risk, luck and fate become, within this concept of risk, qualities which it is possible to ‘take on’. Also, the issue of dislocation, akin to translation or grammar discrepancies, when those things beyond our will and upon which we unable to exercise self-determination are cast as problems of responsibility.

• Within today’s discussion participants at various points referred to a supposed ‘we’, leading us to give further thought to what this ‘we’ actually refers to: that is, how this grouping is constructed, and how it shifts within distinct contexts and utterances.

The above seminar discussion provided space for various illuminating exchanges, leading to unexpected points of intersection to issues which on the surface seemed unrelated. Many thanks to all participants for a meaningful and highly stimulating discussion.