Philosophy Viewed from Evolution

What happens to philosophy when the universe is understood through evolution rather than a hidden spiritual purpose? Katō Hiroyuki’s 1910 address challenges Inoue Tetsujirō on reality, motion, consciousness, and will.

The debate moves through Spencer, Haeckel, Kant, Schopenhauer, and Darwin, asking whether natural law permits free will and whether human beings truly control nature. Its examples include competing tigers, steam power, flying machines, military victories, and reported clairvoyance.

This complete new English translation preserves the speakers’ arguments, qualifications, and period prejudices. A translator’s note, twenty brief endnotes, and source information explain the philosophical terms and textual problems.