Life, Death, Philosophy: Essays & Papers: feminism, disability

Home > This page

Essays and Papers

The following list includes some translations of Morioka's books. List of books are here.
Titles marked with asterisks (**) are important papers.

painless civilization

**Painless Civilization and Fundamental Sense of Security: A Philosophical Challenge in the Age of Human Biotechnology (2005) An outline of philosophy proposed in the book, Painless Civilization. The ideas of "fundamental sense of security", "disappearance of conviction of love", "preventive reduction of pain" and other important concepts are briefly discussed. A good introduction to Morioka's philosophy.

**Painless Civilization: A Philosophical Critique of Desire (Book, 2003) The most controversial book I have ever written. The endless tendency to eliminate pain and suffering makes us totally lose sight of the meaning of life that is indispensable to human beings. How to battle against painless civilization? The new concept "painless civilization" is introduced, and our contemporary civilization is fundamentally criticized. A revolutionary idea about the philosophy of desire is discussed. Korean translation was published in 2005. English translation is under way.

Morioka as a philosopher

**The Structure of the Inner Life of a Philosopher: The Multi-Layered Aspects of Speech (1998) This essay illustrates the development of Morioka's philosophy from his boyhood to the mid-1990s. You can see why I was enthusiastic about life studies, bioethics, Wittgenstein, media studies, and manga. Written in 1995 and published in 1998. Translation from Japanese.

**Ulrike WÖHR, Die Ambivalenz des Lebens und die Unmöglichkeit der Religion: MORIOKA MASAHIRO und Seine SEIMEIGAKU (The Ambivalence of Life and the Impossibility of Religion: Morioka Masahiro and his Seimeigaku(Life Studies))(2001) Professor Ulrike WÖHR criticized Morioka's works 1988-1999 from the viewpoint of religious and Japanese studies. Published in 2001 in German.

OUTSIDE LINK Christian Steineck, References to Japanese / Asian traditions in the Japanese bioethical debate. Some Examples and Methodological Reflections In this paper Professor Christian Steinck mentions Morioka's works on bioethics.

philosophy of life

**The Concept of Inochi (life) (1991) "Inochi" is the most important word that means " life," " spirit," and " nature" in Japanese. The Japanese grasp the idea of 'human life' in relationship with that of 'nature'. The images of "life," "spirit," and "nature" are overlapping with one another in their worldview. The keyword is "interrelatedness and irreplaceability." This research is still going on. (This file is divided into two parts).

**Cross-cultural Approaches to the Philosophy of Life in the Contemporary World: From Bioethics to Life Studies (2004) The first aim of this paper is to criticize the East/West dichotomy often found in bioethics literature. The second aim is to overview the scope of "life studies" that was presented instead of bioethics. Summary of Morioka's works is included.

OUTSIDE LINK The Human Natures and Modern Civilization (1995) I examined the nature of contemporary civilization by using three concepts, namely, "the nature of connectedness (with all living things)", "the nature of self-interest", and "the nature of mutual support", which are deeply engraved on humans life. This is a summary of thr series of essays, Life Torn apart. A translation is in progress by Felix (external link).

reconsidering human death

**Reconsidering Brain Death: A Lesson from Japan's Fifteen Years of Experience (2001) The Japanese Transplantation Law is unique among others in that it allows us to choose between "brain death" and "traditional death" as our death. In every country 20 to 40 % of the popularion doubts the idea of brain death. This paper reconsiders the concept, and reports the ongoing rivision process of the current law. Published in Hastings Center Report, 2001.

**Brain Dead Person (Book, 1989) This book shifted the Japanese debate on brain death from "brain-centered analysis" to "human relationship oriented analysis." I defined that brain death means a form of human relationships between a comatose patient and the people surrounding him/her in the ICU. " I paid special attention to the emotional aspect and the inner reality of the family members of a brain dead person, because sometimes the family members at the bedside, touching the warm body of the patient, express the feeling that the brain dead person still continues to exist as a living human being. This approach, published more than 15 years ago, has deeply influenced Japanese bioethics, and would probably influence English bioethics, too. Translations of Chapter 1, 2, 5 and 7 were finished!
>> Commentary on "Brain Dead Person" Chapter 1 by Robert D. Truog, MD [Nov.24,2001]

Is it Morally Acceptable to Remove Organs from Brain-Dead Children? (2007) Children have the right not to be exploited by the desire of adults. When a brain dead child has said nothing about brain death, we have to think that the child has a right to live and die peacefully, fully protected against the interests of others. Published in The Lancet.

Two Aspects of Brain Dead Being (2000) This paper summarizes the essence of my "brain death as a form of human relationships" theory. We should not overlook the discrepancy between scientific reality and emotional/spiritual reality. A deep problem is lurking here.

A Proposal for Revision of the Organ Transplantation Law Based on A Child Donor’s Prior Declaration (2001) This is the translation of the so-called Morioka&Sugimoto proposal on brain death and transplantation. We proposed that the prior declaration of a brain dead child should be respected, and that when the child does not have a donor card the organ removal should be prohibited. Important material for understanding an unprecedented bioethics debate now occurring in Japan. See also Special Report on this topic.

Current Debate on the Ethical Issues of Brain Death (2004) We would like to maintain the idea of pluralism of human death. We should respect a child’s view of life and death. We should provide him/her with an opportunity to think and express their own ideas about life and death.

gender and sexuality

**The Insensitive Man: A Philosophical Essay on Male Sexuality (Book, 2005) A philosophical analysis of male sexuality, especially men's sexual insensitivity, men's self-denial about their bodies, and their desire of little girls and school uniforms. This book presents a very unique perspective on important topics in men's studies and gender studies. I bet you'll enjoy this book.

What do We Learn from Japanese Feminist Bioethics? (1998) Japanese bioethics began as feminist bioethics in the early 1970s. This essay offers a brief sketch of their thoughts. Japanese feminist bioethics in the 1970s was fairly different from bioethics in the English speaking world before 1990s. My recent book, Life Studies Approaches to Bioethics, thoroughly examined this topic. Please wait for a translation.

bioethics, comparative culture, technology...

**Disability Movement and Inner Eugenic Thought: A Philosophical Aspect of Independent Living and Bioethics (2002) Criticism of eugenic thought in terms of "self-affirmation" and "the fundamental sense of security." What did disabled people think about life and technology? In Japan, it was disabled activists and feminists that began bioethics in the early 1970s.

**Bioethics and Japanese Culture (1995) This paper illustrates how modern medical technology and traditional culture&religion clash in the midst of an industrialized, high-tech society, such as Japan. Japanese debate on brain death and organ transplantation is examined from the viewpoint of comparative culture. Several comments appeared on the web. The most frequently read paper on this website.

The Ethics of Human Cloning and the Sprout of Human Life (2006) In Japan, not only people who object to human cloning, but also many of those who seek to promote research on human cloning admit that a human embryo is the sprout of human life and, hence, it should be highly respected. Why?

Toward International and Cross-cultural Bioethics (1994) We need "an international, cross-cultural, more feminist, more environmentally oriented study of life, science and society."