This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Modern education is predominantly shaped by approaches that emphasize efficiency, measurable achievement, prediction and the ability to solve problems through rational intervention. This approach is associated with what is known as "technological rationality" and is valuable for organizing educational processes but can fall short when dealing with experiences such as suffering, loss, illness, disaster and vulnerability that cannot be predicted or controlled.
Against this backdrop, professor Fumio Ono from the Faculty of Global and Regional Studies at Doshisha University in Japan explored how educational philosophy might respond to experiences of suffering. His study, published online in Educational Philosophy and Theory on Sept. 1, 2026, draws particular attention to Japanese philosophy as a tradition shaped through continuing intersections between Eastern and Western thought. The study questions how these intellectual resources might contribute to a philosophy capable of responding to events of global catastrophe.
Speaking about the inspiration behind the study, Ono explains, "The devastating events of March 2011, including the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, made me realize that it was necessary to develop a form of thought capable of responding to such unexpected and catastrophic events." Ono develops his argument through philosophical analysis. He brings together Augustin Berque's mesology (fūdo-gaku), which explores the relationship between people and their environment, and Tokuryu Yamauchi's "logic of lemma," a non-Aristotelian approach grounded in Nāgārjuna's Madhyamaka philosophy that allows for a "middle" path beyond conventional binary distinctions. Drawing on these perspectives, the author develops the idea of "knowledge of pathos," an approach that recognizes passivity, suffering, vulnerability, fragility and the uncontrollable aspects of human existence.
The proposed philosophy of pathos could have implications for schools, universities, counseling, health care and welfare. Instead of focusing only on "What should be done to solve a problem?" practitioners could focus on "What is a person experiencing?" This approach encourages a deeper engagement with experiences of suffering, recognizing them as meaningful aspects of human life rather than simply problems to be eliminated. The philosophy also draws attention to experiences that do not fit neatly into categories such as strong or weak, success or failure, normal or abnormal, or victim or perpetrator, making space for the complexity and contradictions of human experiences.
The study also considers what happens after catastrophe and loss. Disasters, war, bereavement, illness and social crises can disrupt people's established values and understanding of the world. The study suggests that education can play a role not only in restoring knowledge and skills but also in helping people make sense of what they have experienced and rebuild their understanding of themselves and the world around them.
"Through the proposed philosophy of pathos, education can be understood not only as a way of developing people's abilities but also as a way to help people make sense of suffering and reconfigure their relationship with the world," notes Ono. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly. Looking ahead, Ono suggests that this perspective could contribute to a long-term transformation of the educational culture.
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