Why Japanese Read Comic Books (THINGS HIDDEN 229)

Dr Paul Axton joins David Gornoski and Surit Dasgupta to talk about Japan's encounter with Christianity, why Western philosophical approaches don't work in Japan, Nihonjinron identity, the psychology of Amae, extraordinary life of Yukio Mishima, and more.

Check out Forging Ploughshares podcast here: http://podcast.forgingploughshares.org
Follow David Gornoski on X here: https://x.com/DavidGornoski
Visit https://aneighborschoice.com for more

Intro by Fools for Christ

Timestamps
0:00 Preview
0:43 Introduction
4:12 Paul’s background in Japan
11:00 Looking at the Gospel anew
13:45 Limitations of philosophy
19:00 Shame, identity, and the Gospel
25:01 Tatemae and honne
26:09 Neurosis and apocalypse
29:19 The Japanese novel
32:13 Modern Japanese identity
40:21 Nihonjinron, left-brain dominance
49:47 Collectivism and fragility
54:48 Amae, maternal indulgence
1:07:54 Yukio Mishima
1:15:17 The solution to the dilemma
1:17:24 Closing thoughts