Mu 無 as Structural Ground

Reinterpreting Saussure’s Structuralism Through Nishida Kitarō’s Logic of Basho

Abstract

This paper re-examines Saussure’s structuralism through Nishida Kitarō’s logic of basho (basho teki ronri 場所的論理), a philosophical theory rooted in the concept of mu 無. By adopting this perspective, we explore the foundation of linguistic structure while seeking to transcend its perceived closure and stasis—key critiques of Saussure’s theory. We propose interpreting Saussure’s synchronicity within the framework of diachronicity. The principle of arbitrariness, in this light, emerges as a trace of diachronic contingency fossilized within a synchronic system. Linguistic structure operates through two interwoven dimensions: synchronically, it manifests as oppositional relations among signs, described by Saussure as “negativity”, embodying mu as negative dialectics; diachronically, it is shaped by historical contingency, reflected in the arbitrary combination of sound-images and concepts, mirroring mu as the “groundless ground”. This “groundless ground”, as the “basho of absolute mu” (zettaimu no basho 絶対無の場所), reveals language not as a static system but as a dynamic process of systemic becoming, akin to what Nishida terms the “eternal now” (eien no ima 永遠の今), which continuously maintains itself in the tension between past and future. Synchronic structure is thus not a frozen moment but a dynamic threshold where historical accidents crystallize into present configurations, perpetually open to reconfiguration. It is both complete (as a system of differential relations) and incomplete (as a site of perpetual reconfiguration).