Customer Reviews

Each One a Hero: The Philosophy of Symbiosis

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I have read many books written by, and about Kisho Kurokawa and this one summarize his thoughts. This book is a revised version and of The Philosophy of Symbiosis published in 1991. Beside explaining the fundaments and concepts of the Philosophy of Symbiosis, it demonstrates by numerous examples how this philosophy applied to architecture-which is his domain of expertise-politic, economy, and international relations, will lead us into the new millennium, into an era where the respect of cultural differences will create dynamic exchange between the different nations.

His thoughts, based on traditional Japanese culture-about which he gives a basic understanding--, are definitively those of a visionary. I found it interesting to see the future from his point of view. Although one might feel he is overly optimistic toward the future, there is definitively, in the XXIst century, a movement toward Asia, and his work and experiences in Malaysia and other Asian countries make him a privileged observer of the growing influence of this part of the world. I think there is a lot to learn about Asian cultures if we want to take be a part of their development.