A. Who is this person?

Fukuzawa Yukichi, an important late 20th century Japanese Writer.

He was an Educator, Journalist, Entrepreneur.

He founded Keio University.

B. Why should I care about Yukichi Fukuzawa?

Interested in:

1. West-East Discourse,
2. Modernization,
3. Japan History
4. Education Models of East-West

C. Why was the West better asks, Yukichi Fukuzawa?

Merely importing, gunnery or machines wasn't the solution.

That took him on a journey to write his works, to absorb, emulate many works of the West.

He is part of inter-civilizational dialogue between West and Japan.

He is considered to be one of the Founders for Modern Japan.

In this Work, he iterates:

-Equality of Men
-Equality of Nations
-Duty of Scholars

He basically encourages independence - self-sufficiency, national independence,

And introduction of Western learning in Japan.

D. What are your favorite parts from this work?

1. In addition, if we want to widen our circle of friends, it is essential to have as broad a range of interests as possible.

We have to be able to play more than one note ourselves, and this means we should associate with people of all sorts of interests—intellectual interests, business interests, calligraphy and art, the games of go and shōgi.


2. "Let me therefore say to the younger generation: if you are dissatisfied with another person’s efforts, go and do it yourself. If you think another’s business is poorly done, just try to do better. Put your own household in order if you think your neighbor’s household is not. Write a book yourself before commenting on another’s.

Before you comment on a scholar or a doctor, become one yourself. If you want to meddle in another’s work, no matter how trivial, put yourself in the other’s shoes and then examine yourself.

Or if someone else’s job is completely different from yours, make a fair estimation of the relative difficulty and importance of his work. Even if his work is different, you will not make a great mistake as long as you compare just the practical ability of yourself and the other person’s."

In the process of Modernization, Patrick Smith writes, Asian countries have suffered confusing identities called, "Doubling." Asian countries have a frame of reference towards the West.

Patrick Smith is a Journalist, has lived in Japan, China and India for 20 years. He writes in his work Somebody Else's Century.

For Tamil People:

Similarly, I ask -- What could Tamil People absorb and learn from the West?

Nope, not wearing Western clothes, watching sitcoms, gadgets or spewing out fancy english is Western.

Perhaps, could we create knowledge? And so, we can churn out products that could be traded?


What could, we Tamil People absorb, that could improve overall socio-economic aspect of Tamil People, to put it on a Global Map?

E. What others would I recommend?

1. Yukichi Fukuzawa's, Theory of Civilization -He makes a Key Point, the West has been pursuing Knowledge, Virtue.

2.Patrick Smith's, Somebody's Century, part of East-West Discourse. He says India could evade losing its identity, unlike China or Japan.

Patrick's work in unique.

He writes as an exploratory essay, story, rather than conclusive or, thesis style.

May you explore, come up with interesting answers.

Deus Vult,
Gottfried ( )