In the parlance of modern Japanese philosophy, the term Basho denotes a field of experience underlying all conceptions of reality, while remaining itself conceptually ungraspable. The Basho of Economics, then, refers to the economy's hidden experiential ground, which has never been explicitly scrutinized, as such, by mainstream economics. We uncover this ground by discerning the tacit presuppositions of classical and neo-classical theories from the perspective of modern Japanese philosophy. In particular, we draw attention to the logic of substances implicit in their equilibrium-centered models. By breaking through this logic, we reconstruct the economy as a functional and relational world of habitual and creative activity outside of the scope of mechanical laws.
Silja Graupe is the leading figure in the new disciplinary field of intercultural economics. Her interest in Japanese philosophy dates back to her studies at Sophia University, Tokyo (Japan) in 1999. Her publications include "Japanese Modes of Business Behavior" (2002), "The Locus of Science and its Place in Japanese Culture" (2006) and "Do Daoist Principles Justify Laissez Faire Policies?" (2007).
