Anthropology of Dehumanization: Miki Kiyoshi’s Ontology of Technology

Nobuyuki Matsui

This presentation explores Miki Kiyoshi’s philosophy of technology. His understanding of

technology is not limited to the conventional view of technology as a mere tool; rather, he

perceives technology as a way to grasp the existential condition of human life. This

presentation will go beyond simply examining how Miki understands technology. Instead, it

will delve into how technology is intertwined with the existential conditions of alienated

individuals in modernity, and how this relationship can be understood as fundamentally

historical.

We can approach these existential conditions through several key concepts that Miki

developed, such as “basic experience” (kiso-keiken; 基礎経験), “nihility” (kyomu; 虚無), and

imagination (kōsōryoku; 構想力). In Notes on Life (『人生論ノート』, 1941), Miki famously

stated that “nihility is the human condition.” He further argued that nihility is the foundational

premise of human existence, shaping life itself, and that the formation of life is driven by

nihility. In other words, the ontology of nihility is closely linked to Miki’s idea of creative

imagination.

However, before his ontological view of nihility fully evolved, Miki also developed the

concept of “basic experience,” which primarily refers to the dehumanized condition of the

proletariat—those marginalized and excluded by the capitalist system. This idea is particularly

evident in his 1927 essay, Marxism and Materialism (『マルクス主義と唯物論』).

Thus, the central question arises: how can we find a consistent foundation for integrating

these two existential concepts—imagination rooted in nihility and the “basic experience”? My

presentation will argue that Miki saw technology as the intermediary between these two

concepts, granting technology a historic-ontological status. By interpreting technology in this

way, we can understand it as a phenomenon arising from the historical struggle between

humans and nature.

This existential view of technology will be explored through the lens of Miki’s anthropology

of dehumanization. In particular, I will focus on a re-reading of the chapter on “Technology” in

The Logic of Imagination (『構想力の論理』, 1939), alongside key passages from Philosophy of

Technology (『技術哲学』, 1941) and Marxism and Materialism.