This book is a major early work of Japanese philosopher Wataru Hiromatsu (1933-1994). Originally published in 1972, the primary themeis overcoming the subject-object schema of modern philosophy.Hiromatsu seeks to replace this subject-object schema with what he calls the intersubjective fourfold structure, in which “the given is validas something more to someone as someone more.” This fourfold structure is not a sum of four independent elements, but exists only as afunctional relationship. From this relationist point of view, Hiromatsu develops his philosophical theory as a systematic critique of “reification,”defined as the hypostatizing misconception of a functional relation.
