science

Religion and Nothingness

Religion and Nothingness is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Religion and Nothingness rather than just read about it. In short: Religion and Nothingness (Japanese: Shūkyō to wa Nanika; the original title translates literally as "What is Religion?") is a 1961 book about nihilism by the Japanese philosopher Keiji Nishitani. The book was published in English translation in 1982, and received positive reviews, commending Nishitani for his understanding of both Western and Eastern philosophy.

Key takeaways

Religion and Nothingness belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Religion and Nothingness to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Religion and Nothingness from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Religion and Nothingness (Japanese: Shūkyō to wa Nanika; the original title translates literally as "What is Religion?") is a 1961 book about nihilism by the Japanese philosopher Keiji Nishitani. The book was published in English translation in 1982, and received positive reviews, commending Nishitani for his understanding of both Western and Eastern philosophy. The appearance of the English translation increased interest in Nishitani's ideas among philosophers.

Publication history The English translation of Religion and Nothingness, by the philosopher Jan Van Bragt, was first published in 1982 by University of California Press.

Reception According to Ruben L. F. Habito, the appearance of Religion and Nothingness in English translation in 1982 led to increasing interest in Nishitani's ideas among philosophers, theologians, and religious scholars. Graham Parkes described the book as Nishitani's masterwork, writing that in it Nishitani achieved a philosophical synthesis that matches the achievements of the philosophers Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Martin Heidegger in depth of insight. The book received positive reviews from Donald L. Smith in Library Journal and J. N. Gray in The Times Literary Supplement. Smith wrote that Nishitani "presents a subtle philosophical analysis of reality and a lively argument for resolving problems of being in terms of certain metaphysical principles of Zen Buddhism." Smith called the book "profound yet clearly written", and credited Nishitani with "erudite wisdom and understanding of both Eastern and Western philosophical traditions." Gray wrote that Nishitani "achieves a remarkable cross-fertilization of the most profound and radical elements in Eastern and Western philosophy and spiritual experience", and that the book "will have the utmost value for all those who see in contemporary Western philosophy the unresolved issue of nihilism, and who are prepared to entertain the supposition that thought emerging from a tradition in which the experience of Nothingness was not threatening, and rather a benediction, may have something to teach us." The book was also reviewed by Philip Blosser in Research in Phenomenology, the theologian Thomas J. J. Altizer in Journal of the American Academy of Religion, the Buddhist studies scholar Bernard Faure in The Journal of Asian Studies, Thomas P. Kasulis in The Journal of Religion, and Richard H. Drummond in Journal of Ecumenical Studies. James L. Fredericks wrote in The Journal of Religion that Religion and Nothingness appeals to "a broad theologically or philosophically oriented readership."

References

Bibliography Books

Journals

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Religion and Nothingness

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Religion and Nothingness claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Religion and Nothingness before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Religion and Nothingness ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Religion and Nothingness

In research: Religion and Nothingness appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Religion and Nothingness in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Religion and Nothingness is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1961 non-fiction books, Books by Keiji Nishitani, Continental philosophy literature, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Religion and Nothingness outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Religion and Nothingness in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Religion and Nothingness means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Religion and Nothingness out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Religion and Nothingness in simple terms?

Why does Religion and Nothingness matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Religion and Nothingness?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Religion and Nothingness.