Wanted: Persons to confront current social issues and pursue true interdisciplinarity
The mission of our graduate school is twofold:
The first is to squarely face the current issues and cross swords with the current times. Thomas Kuhn, a leading authority in scientific theory, divided academic efforts into two phases: the stable phase of “normal science” where knowledge and findings are accumulated within a rough theoretical framework and efforts are made to achieve consistency among these knowledge and findings; and the “scientific revolution” phase where the validity of existing theoretical frameworks is questioned and consequently, the theoretical frameworks undergo a drastic change. Today where the entire world is suffering from a sense of stagnation both politically and economically, many academicians share a common understanding that what is required of the academic world is the “scientific revolution” that breaks the deadlock.
The second is a real interdisciplinary approach. Although there are many undergraduate and graduate schools that advocate the interdisciplinary approach, most of them are a mere aggregation of experts from various fields. It seems to me that they are a mere aggregation of isolated knowledge that never merges with each other. However, an interdisciplinary approach is not a mere aggregation, nor is “interdisciplinary” an adjective attached to an organization or location. The true meaning of “interdisciplinary” is something that is sometimes realized within individuals, such as Leonardo da Vinci during the Renaissance, and Leibniz, a genius in the Baroque period. Of course, I do not mean that we should affect da Vinci or Leibniz. However, I believe that true “interdisciplinary” will never be realized unless both teachers and students question the existing frameworks, expand their perspectives beyond their specialized fields, and extend their awareness of issues concentrically with their specialized field as a center point, that is, unless each and every one becomes an “interdisciplinary” person and cooperates to create a Ryozanpaku , an Eden, of interdisciplinary individuals.
Those willing to face current social issues and wishing to become interdisciplinary individuals, come and join us!
DAIKOKU, Takehiko
