{"id":13647,"date":"2012-10-03T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-03T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2012\/10\/03\/en-philo-afigf-2012-cairo-watsuji-aidagara\/"},"modified":"2012-10-03T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-10-03T07:00:00","slug":"en-philo-afigf-2012-cairo-watsuji-aidagara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2012\/10\/03\/en-philo-afigf-2012-cairo-watsuji-aidagara\/","title":{"rendered":"Watsujian Aidagara (Betweenness) on AfIGF 2012 Cairo \u2014 Aidagara (relational being) and fudo (climate)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Japanese Ethics<\/strong> \u2014 most prominently associated with Tetsuro Watsuji<\/strong> \u2014 to re-read the AfIGF 2012 Cairo conference. Target audience: researchers, doctoral students, policy analysts, and executives.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Introduction: The Problem<\/h2>\n

Watsuji's Fudo and Ethics presented a Japanese ethics that conceives humans as "relational beings" (aidagara) against Western individualism. AfIGF is a venue where each country's fudo and aidagara intersect.<\/p>\n

This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of AfIGF becomes intelligible in its specificity only through the concept of Aidagara (relational being) and fudo (climate)<\/strong>, and that the concept itself undergoes transformation under the new material of digital space. Describing this mutual transformation is the task of this essay.<\/p>\n

\"Analytical<\/p>\n

Fudo of digital space<\/h2>\n

The fudo of Cairo and the aidagara formed there constitute the quality of discussion. Egypt's concept of relational responsibility relativizes a privacy discourse skewed to individual responsibility.<\/p>\n

Each session's agenda-setting can be read as a contemporary restaging of the Tetsuro Watsuji-type problematic.<\/p>\n

The regional IGF (AfIGF) holds a philosophically distinct position as the intermediate category mediating global universality and national particularity.<\/p>\n

Relational responsibility<\/h2>\n

Tetsuro Watsuji's concepts are not confined to abstract philosophical discussion; they apply to the concrete agenda items debated at the 2012 conference. We examine that application below.<\/p>\n

1. Application to "\u30a2\u30af\u30bb\u30b9"<\/h3>\n

Discussion of "\u30a2\u30af\u30bb\u30b9" can be positioned, from the perspective of Tetsuro Watsuji's Aidagara (relational being) and fudo (climate)<\/strong>, as a central problematic. In Egypt's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around \u30a2\u30af\u30bb\u30b9 are particularly at stake.<\/p>\n

2. Application to "\u767a\u5c55"<\/h3>\n

Discussion of "\u767a\u5c55" can be positioned, from the perspective of Tetsuro Watsuji's Aidagara (relational being) and fudo (climate)<\/strong>, as a derivative problematic. In Egypt's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around \u767a\u5c55 are particularly at stake.<\/p>\n

3. Application to "\u521d\u958b\u50ac"<\/h3>\n

Discussion of "\u521d\u958b\u50ac" can be positioned, from the perspective of Tetsuro Watsuji's Aidagara (relational being) and fudo (climate)<\/strong>, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Egypt's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around \u521d\u958b\u50ac are particularly at stake.<\/p>\n

4. Application to "\u5730\u57df\u5354\u8abf"<\/h3>\n

Discussion of "\u5730\u57df\u5354\u8abf" can be positioned, from the perspective of Tetsuro Watsuji's Aidagara (relational being) and fudo (climate)<\/strong>, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Egypt's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around \u5730\u57df\u5354\u8abf are particularly at stake.<\/p>\n

5. Application to "\u8d8a\u5883\u30c7\u30fc\u30bf"<\/h3>\n

Discussion of "\u8d8a\u5883\u30c7\u30fc\u30bf" can be positioned, from the perspective of Tetsuro Watsuji's Aidagara (relational being) and fudo (climate)<\/strong>, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Egypt's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around \u8d8a\u5883\u30c7\u30fc\u30bf are particularly at stake.<\/p>\n

\"Philosophical<\/p>\n

Implications for Executives and Practitioners<\/h2>\n

The philosophical reflection of this essay is not merely academic. The Tetsuro Watsuji perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in Egypt.<\/p>\n

First, it raises the reflexive question of how the firm's business model connects to the logic of Aidagara (relational being) and fudo (climate)<\/strong>. Second, in dialogue with regulators and civil society, it suggests dimensions of consensus formation that purely technical arguments cannot reach. Third, it indicates that the long-term ground of business legitimacy lies not so much in technical advantage or market share as in participation in such philosophical-normative debates.<\/p>\n

Academic Positioning and Future Research<\/h2>\n

The argument of this essay attempts to graft a philosophical perspective onto the mainstream political-science and legal approaches to internet governance research. Three future research questions follow.<\/p>\n

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  1. Verification of the applicability of Tetsuro Watsuji's framework to other IGF conferences<\/li>\n
  2. Comparative contrast between Japanese Ethics<\/strong> and other theoretical traditions<\/li>\n
  3. Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of Egypt<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In particular, the third point has the potential to liberate IGF research from West-centric debate and open a more multi-layered discursive space.<\/p>\n

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    Primary Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n