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Welcome to HASHIMOTO Tsutomu’s Home Page!

(“Tsutomu” is my first name.)

■ Hashimoto Tsutomu Ph.D.(1967-)
Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, Hokkaido University Graduate School,
Visiting Scholar at New York University. (2000.7.-20002.6.)

■ Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
■ Major: Philosophy of Social Sciences, History of Economic Ideas
■ Books:
--- The Logic of Liberty: Popper, Mises and Hayek, Sobun-sha in 1994, (in Japanese).
--- Philosophical Anthropology of the Social Sciences: A Project of Liberalism, Keiso-Shobo in 1999, (in Japanese).

--- Conditions of Empire. Kobundo in 2007, (in Japanese).

--- How to Live with Freedom, Chikuma-shobo in 2007, (in Japanese).

--- Economic Ethics, Kodan-sha in 2008, (in Japanese).

--- Sociology of Freedom, NTT, in 2010, (in Japanese).

When I was a teenager, I dreamed of being a musician, playing guitar and composing a lot of music pieces. My friend, Mr. Motegi Kin-ichi, was my partner, and we spent a lot of time together playing our music. Most of our pieces were recorded on cassette tapes, and they can be listened to anytime if you like. For more than four years we enjoyed unforgettable times together.

Mr. Motegi finally became a real musician.  He is a drummer, and he now belongs to the famous pop-band called "Tokyo Skapara Orchestra." On the other hand, I am now an associate professor on the Faculty of Economics at the Graduate School of Hokkaido University in Japan.  Although I belong to the faculty of economics, my specialty is in the philosophy of social sciences, especially the relations in the 20th century between ideology and methodology in the social sciences, including economics, politics, sociology, law, and education.

My first academic concern was triggered by seeing the historical crash of the Russian and East European communist regimes in 1989, and by knowing the relevant philosophies of liberalism, especially the ideas of Popper, Mises and Hayek. At that time, I was only 22-years old.  Since I had traveled abroad to more than 20 countries, I really felt that world history had begun to change drastically. I wanted to know the cause and nature of the contemporary processes that were changing the world.

After I finished my first work, I went on to investigate related issues under the theme of the relations between ideology and methodology in the 20th century.  I investigated Max Weber's sociology and his ideology, Austrian Economics and its methodology, and various trends of Marxism. Along with examining sources of the philosophy of liberalism, my main research now is to construct an original theory of liberalism; on the one hand, I have been in New York for two years (2000.7.- 2002.6.), attending the Austrian Colloquium at New York University.  During this period Professor Israel Kirzner and professor Mario Rizzo inspired me to study the market coordination problem in the context of Austrian Economics. On the other hand, I have a great concern with the history of world intellectuals regarding the problem of the influence of Marxism. It is interesting to see how the ghost of Marxist ideology still spurs on various anti-global activities. My original contribution would be the one that addresses these two theoretical issues.

If you are a college student, I would like to give you my mentor's advice. My mentor, Professor Onitsuka, who has already passed away, once gave me two interesting pieces of advice about how to spend college life. The first advice was to wake up early and to go to bed early, at least by midnight. The human body functions most effectively when we follow the rhythm of the moon. His second advice was to stay away from junk food such as McDonalds' hamburgers or Coke. You have to take care of your health; otherwise,  you will shorten your life. This advice was rooted in his own experience. In fact, Professor Onitsuka died at the age of 59 because of his lack of moderation.  He had been a graduate student at the University of Chicago for five years, and he lost his health.

Professor Onitsuka's advice not only helped me, but he inspired me to study ideological issues when I was an undergraduate.  If I had not attended his seminar, I would not have dreamed of becoming a professor. Thus, my message for you would be that the most important thing is to meet a great teacher who will have a crucial impact on your life. You need to struggle to find that kind of person as soon as possible. Do not hesitate to contact me in English.  Or, if you write in your own language, I have friends who may be able to translate your message.  I thank you for visiting my home page. [2002.9.]

"Global Justice: A Proposal for International Tariff System" (PDF File)
A paper presented at Yeongnam University at Taegu, Korea, 13th September, 2007.

"On the Concept of Positive and Negative Freedom," in Jose Rubio Carrecedo ed. Political Philosophy: New Proposals for New Questions, Proseedings of the 22nd IVR World Congress Granada 2005, volume II, Archiv fur Rechts- und Sozialphilosophie (ARSP) Beiheft Nr.107, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2007, pp.73-78.

On Market Order: Four Tensions on Market Theories in Neo-Aistrian Economics (PDF)
2003/05/22draft paper presented at Japanese Assosiation of the History of Economic Ideas.

The Purpose and Significance of the Methodology in the Age of Scientism,
Economic Journal of Hokkaido University, vol.29, 2000.7.

On Demarcation problem between neoliberalism and libertarianism
draft 2009.9.

"Carl Menger and the Later Austrian School of Economics: An Analysis of their Methodological Relationship," in Austrian Economics in Transition: From Carl Menger to Friedrich Hayek, eds. by Harald Hagemann, Tamotsu Nishizawa and Yukihiro Ikeda, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, pp.310-328.