Activity Reports

International Workshop “The Phenomenology of Human Dignity and Vulnerability”

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This international workshop was organized with the aim of deepening our understanding of the fundamental issues of dignity and vulnerability, which are widely recognized as crucial concerns in contemporary society. By adopting a phenomenological approach, the workshop sought to explore how these concepts are not only theoretical or ethical issues, but also practical themes that intimately relate to our everyday lived experiences especially in an era marked by increasing social fragmentation and uncertainty . Phenomenology offers a valuable methodology for addressing these topics, as it does not begin with abstract ideals, but rather focuses on the concrete description of lived experience , such as embodiment, emotion, and interpersonal relations. Through this lens, the workshop examined how human dignity can be constituted, sustained, or undermined in various contexts.

The workshop featured four speakers two researchers from Finland and two from Japan who each presented in English on their respective studies of dignity and vulnerability from diverse perspectives. Topics covered a wide range o f issues, including the experience of pain, the feeling of exclusion, shame, and the responsibility to respond to others. These presentations provided participants with new vantage points from which to engage with the themes. Although the workshop was conducted on a relatively small scale, this facilitated closer interaction among participants. A particularly noteworthy aspect was the lively exchange between speakers and audience members. During the Q&A sessions, a wide variety of insightful comments and questions were raised, regardless of disciplinary background or academic standing, demonstrating both a high level of interest in the themes and a collective willingness to reflect deeply upon them. This workshop served as a valuable forum for dialogue that transcended cultural and disciplinary boundaries. It not only enriched participants understanding of the issues discussed, but also opened up promising avenues for future academic exchange and collaborative research.

The first presentation was delivered by Dr. Irina Poleshchuk (University of Helsinki/European Humanities University) under the title Phenomenology of Living Pain: Shame, Guilt and Regaining Dignity in Long Lasting Pain Experience. Her talk offered a phenomenological inquiry into the recovery of dignity in the context of chronic pain. Dr. Poleshchuk began by emphasizing that pain is not merely a sensory phenomenon, but one that is inseparably intertwined with emotions and cultural meaning. Pain was frame d as a biocultural phenomenon , both biological and cultural , where bodily experiences are shaped within specific social and historical contexts. Central to her analysis was the idea that the experience of pain is deeply influenced by the construction of emotion and meaning, suggesting the need to reinterpret pain not simply as a physiological response, but as an event that fundamentally affects one s dignity and ethical standing. She pointed out that historical representations of pain have been shaped through theological, military, legal, and medical frameworks, each of which carries the risk of marginalizing the embodied voices of those who actually suffer. Drawing on the work of scholars such as David Morris and Byron Good, who employ phenomenological perspectives within medical anthropology, she introduced attempts to illuminate the inherent and intersubjective dimensions of chronic pain. Pain, she argued, is an experience that resists full articulation in language. This difficulty in expression is intimately connected to feelings of isolation, shame, and the erosion of subjectivity often reported by those living with chronic pain. A central theme of her presentation was the rethinking of pain as an ongoing temporal experience of subjectivity , one in which the question of how individuals can preserve or reconstruct their dignity becomes crucial. This approach moves beyond the conventional goal of pain alleviation to address deeper ethical and existential questions about what it means to live with pain . It can thus be seen as a utopian endeavor that seeks to reclaim the meaning and moral significance of enduring pain.

The second presentation, titled Levinas and Figures of the Excluded, was delivered by Dr. Rui Matsuba (Rissho University). Beginning with the concept of human dignity and its institutional embodiment in the idea of human rights, Dr. Matsuba offered a philosophical reconsideration of those who are systematically excluded from such frameworks. While human rights, as declared in the 17 89 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, claim that all individuals are born free and entitled to live in dignity and happiness, in practice, there have always been those such as prisoners or individuals diagnosed with mental illness who are excluded from the full protection of these rights. Dr. Matsuba began by discussing Michel Foucault’s critique of the prison system in the early 1970s, referencing the activities of the Groupe d Information sur les Prisons (GIP), which Foucault co founded , as well as his analysis of power structures in Discipline and Punish (1975). Building upon this, the presentation explored intellectual connections with the Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, who was active during the same period. Although there was no direct dialogue between the two thinkers, both shared a critical concern with the figures of exclusion , such as the prisoner and the insane. In his 1975 work Otherwise than Being, or Beyond Essence, Levinas argued that these marginalized individuals, while subjected to the repressive structures of the state and medical institutions, nonetheless emerge as voices that challenge and reconfigure the meaning of justice. For Levinas, these figures do not merely represent social vulnerability or weakness; rather, they embody the Other who disrupts and reorients the foundations of ethics. The breakdown of speech associated with such figures becomes, through the call of the Other, a catalyst for ethical reconstitution. In this way, Dr. Matsuba s presentation sought to reconsider the concept of human rights in Levinas s philosophy, not as an abstract legal ideal, but as the rights of the Other, rooted in concrete and ethically charged encounters with exclusion. This presentation offered a meaningful contribution by redefining human rights through the lens of those who are systematically left out, and by interpreting the concept not only philosophically but considering real and practical exclusions from institutional systems.

The third presentation, titled Losing a Voice of One s Own: Social Suffering, Shame, and Loss of Agency, was given by Dr. Joonas Martikainen (University of Turku). Starting from the concept of dignity, Dr. Martikainen offered a phenomenological investigation into the loss of political agency in contemporary society, with a focus on the phenomenon of losing one’s voice.” As reflected in the Finnish term ihmisarvo (human worth), the belief that all people are entitled to a life of dignity is not merely an internal or personal matter, but on e that is deeply intertwined with social structures. Dr. Martikainen pointed out that in both Finland and Japan, ongoing issues such as economic inequality and inadequate public care continue to deprive many individuals of the opportunity to live a dignified life. A key focus of the presentation was the relationship between dignity and public voice. The ability to perceive oneself as a dignified individual is closely linked to one s recognition as an equal political subject. When this is lost, so too is the capacity to express oneself and to act leading to what Martikainen described as aphonia, or the loss of voice. This state of voicelessness results from repeated experiences of humiliation and shame, constituting a form of social suffering. Under the conceptual framework of political poverty, Martikainen explored how shame can erode a person s sense of agency and suppress their ability to speak in self defense. Drawing on the phenomenology of the body , particularly the work of Maurice Merleau Ponty, he examined how the loss of voice manifests in bodily experience. This presentation offered a compelling challenge to purely abstract or philosophical notions of dignity by grounding them in concrete socio political conditions. In doing so, it raised profound ethical and political questions about the very act of having a voice , and what it means to be recognized as a speaking, acting subject in society.

The final presentation, titled Human Dignity and Vulnerability: Levinas and Second personal Ethics, was delivered by Dr. Shojiro Kotegawa (Kokugakuin University). This talk explored the relationship between human dignity and vulnerability through a comparative analysis of Stephen Darwall s second personal ethics and the ethical philosophy of Emmanuel Levin as. Dr. Kotegawa began by outlining two major conceptions of human dignity. The first is the endowment concept, which holds that all humans possess dignity by virtue of their inherent worth, often grounded in Judeo Christian values. The second is the capacity concept, which bases dignity on the possession of certain faculties, such as rationality or free will. However, the latter risks excluding those who are perceived as lacking such capacities such as fetuses or individuals with severe disabilities. In response to this, Darwall redefines dignity through the notion of a second person standpoint, in which individuals relate to each other through mutual demands and accountability. In this view, dignity is not contingent on individual capabilities, but is rooted in relational standing with others. Dr. Kotegawa then introduced the critical perspective of Robert Stern, who questions whether Darwall s content independent demands are sufficient as moral motivations. Drawing on the ethics of dependency developed by K.E. Løgstrup, Stern emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and relational interdependence. Building on this, Dr. Kotegawa turned to Levinas, who not only focuses on the vulnerability of the Other, but also highlights the vulnerability of the self in its ethical obligation to respond to the Other s call. This dual vulnerability , of both self and other , serves as the foundation for an ethics that transcends conventional notions of dignity. In presenting this perspective, Dr. Kotegawa offered a significant rethinking of the concept of dignity, proposing that it emerges not from static qualities or capacities, but from the responsive and relational nature of ethical encounters with others.

What emerged clearly through the various presentations was that dignity is not a static attribute or abstract ideal inherently possessed by individuals, but rather a dynamic and interdependent experience , constantly constituted, undermined, and restored through relationships with others. Across diverse angles of inquiry , pain, exclusion, shame, and ethical responsibility , it became apparent that dignity should not only be seen as something to be protected, but also as something that emerges within relational engagements. The phenomenological approach proved to be a particularly powerful method in this context, as it allows for careful descriptions of lived experiences grounded in the body, emotions, and socio cultural contexts. This methodology sheds light on the fluid, contextual nature of dignity in a way that more theoretical approaches may overlook. It is also worth highlighting the high level of engagement throughout the workshop , not only from the speakers, but also from the participants. The Q&A sessions were notably active, with a wide range of questions and comments from various disciplinary and professional backgrounds. This open dialogue helped to foster multifaceted perspectives and significantly deepened the discussions.

Ultimately, the workshop served as a valuable platform for interdisciplinary and intercultural dialogue, bringing together scholars from different backgrounds to engage with the universal yet pressing themes of dignity and vulnerability. It is hoped that such philosophical intersections will continue to inspire richer, more grounded understandings of human dignity in the years to come.

(Text by Minae Inahara)