"Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion."
An analysis of the philosophical and ethical teachings of Shintoism, including the emphasis on harmony and purity, and the concept of filial piety.
What is Philosophy?: Understanding the fundamental concepts and approaches to philosophy.
What is Ethics?: Understanding the fundamental concepts and approaches to ethics.
Shintoism: Learn the foundation of the religion, belief systems and its practices.
Metaphysics: Understanding the fundamental nature of reality.
Epistemology: Understanding what knowledge is, how it is acquired, and what are its limits.
Ancient Philosophy: Studying the works of ancient philosophers, such as Aristotle or Plato.
Modern Philosophy: Studying the works of modern philosophers, such as Nietzsche or Hegel.
Moral Philosophy: Studying the nature of moral rightness and wrongness, and the different moral theories.
Existentialism: Understanding the philosophical movement that focuses on individual freedom, responsibility, and choice.
Humanism: Studying the philosophical and ethical movement that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings.
Virtue Ethics: Understanding the ethical theory that focuses on the development of moral character and virtues.
Consequentialism: Understanding the ethical theory that evaluates actions based on their consequences.
Deontology: Understanding the ethical theory that evaluates actions based on the moral rules or duties that may or may not promote good consequences.
Ethics of Care: Understanding how caring and nurturing relationships are a fundamental component of ethics.
Aesthetics: Understanding the philosophy of beauty and art.
Eastern Philosophy: Understanding the traditions, schools of thought and thinkers in the East, such as Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Zen Buddhism: Understanding the philosophy behind this sect of Buddhism.
Mindfulness: Learning ways of being present and attuned to the immediate experience.
Ethics in religion: Understanding the role of ethics in religions around the world.
Ethics and the Environment: Guiding principles for a responsible treatment of the environment in our times.
Metaphysics: It is the branch of Philosophy that deals with the study of the ultimate nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, and the existence of god.
Epistemology: It is the branch of Philosophy that deals with the study of knowledge and belief, including the ways in which our beliefs are justified, and the nature of truth.
Logic: It is the branch of Philosophy that deals with the study of reasoning and argumentation, including the ways in which arguments can be evaluated for their validity and soundness.
Aesthetics: It is the branch of Philosophy that deals with the study of beauty and art, including the ways in which our perceptions of beauty are shaped by cultural, social, and personal factors.
Ethics: It is the branch of Philosophy that deals with the study of moral values and principles, including the ways in which individuals should act in order to achieve the greatest good for society as a whole.
Political Philosophy: It is the branch of Philosophy that deals with the study of government and political institutions, including the ways in which political power is distributed and controlled.
Eastern Philosophy: It includes the traditions of Philosophy that have developed in Asia, including Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shintoism.
Shintoism: It is a traditional religion in Japan that emphasizes the importance of the natural world, and the interdependence of human beings and the divine.
Existentialism: It is a philosophical movement that emphasizes individual freedom and choice, and the search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world.
Feminist Philosophy: It is the branch of Philosophy that focuses on the study of gender and power relations, and the ways in which these affect our understanding of the world and our place in it.
Postmodernism: It is a philosophical movement that challenges the idea of objective truth and the viability of grand narratives, and emphasizes the importance of individual perspective and interpretation.
Critical Race Theory: It is a branch of legal studies and philosophy that challenges the ways in which race and racism are constructed and perpetuated in society, and seeks to promote social justice and equality.
Environmental Philosophy: It is a branch of Philosophy that focuses on the study of the relationship between human beings and the natural environment, and the ways in which this relationship is shaped by social, cultural, and economic factors.
Continental Philosophy: It is a branch of Philosophy that has developed in Europe, and emphasizes the importance of understanding the world through language, culture, and history.
Analytic Philosophy: It is a branch of Philosophy that has developed in the Anglo-American tradition, and focuses on the analysis of language and logical deduction.
"Scholars sometimes call its practitioners Shintoists, although adherents rarely use that term themselves."
"There is no central authority in control of Shinto, with much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners."
"Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the kami."
"The kami are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations."
"The kami are worshipped at kamidana household shrines, family shrines, and jinja public shrines."
"The latter are staffed by priests, known as kannushi, who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific kami enshrined at that location."
"This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and kami and to solicit the latter's blessing."
"Other common rituals include the kagura dances, rites of passage, and seasonal festivals."
"Public shrines facilitate forms of divination and supply religious objects, such as amulets, to the religion's adherents."
"Shinto places a major conceptual focus on ensuring purity, largely by cleaning practices such as ritual washing and bathing, especially before worship."
"Little emphasis is placed on specific moral codes or particular afterlife beliefs, although the dead are deemed capable of becoming kami."
"The religion has no single creator or specific doctrine, and instead exists in a diverse range of local and regional forms."
"Although historians debate at what point it is suitable to refer to Shinto as a distinct religion, kami veneration has been traced back to Japan's Yayoi period (300 BCE to 300 CE)."
"Religious syncretization made kami worship and Buddhism functionally inseparable, a process called shinbutsu-shūgō."
"The earliest written tradition regarding kami worship was recorded in the 8th-century Kojiki and Nihon Shoki."
"During the Meiji era (1868 to 1912), Japan's nationalist leadership expelled Buddhist influence from kami worship and formed State Shinto, which some historians regard as the origin of Shinto as a distinct religion."
"Shinto is primarily found in Japan, where there are around 100,000 public shrines."
"Numerically, it is Japan's largest religion, the second being Buddhism."
"Most of the country's population takes part in both Shinto and Buddhist activities, especially festivals, reflecting a common view in Japanese culture that the beliefs and practices of different religions need not be exclusive."