Aiming to produce human resources who wish for the realization of human happiness

──One can no longer see the value of his existence, right?

 

　The Tokyo Institute of Technology established the Liberal Arts Research and Education Institute in 2016. Liberal arts education, which was only a bachelor’s degree, has been extended to the doctoral course of the graduate school. The students learn while inspiring each other or across grades. They recognize the relationship with society and deepen themselves. By being backed by deep education, we are working to develop human resources who are respected.

 

　Liberal arts is a “technique that frees humans,” but from now on, it will be an era when science and technology itself will be asked whether or not to free humans. In other words, the question is whether science and technology can become liberal arts. It is a science and technology that should be convenient and rich, but it can also be abused and even create a war. At the same time, the more advanced science and technology is, the more sharply the question is about what happiness is for human beings, which underpins it. That is why human beings, at the forefront of science, must have a keen awareness of human beings, society, civilization, and history.

 

　Originally, science and technology is to create new creations by connecting with a free soul. It is meaningful to think about what makes human beings happy and to study for its realization. In developing such scientists, liberal arts is, so to speak, the academic discipline that forms the basis for thinking about the “meaning of life” itself.

 

　There are various ethnic groups and religions in this world. Even within the same society, the perspective of things changes depending on gender, generation, and the place where you were born and raised. On the other hand, in the world of science and engineering, the idea that “there is only one correct answer” is predominant.

 

　However, there are many correct answers in society in which we actually live. Each person has various correct answers, and we must live in harmony with people who have different correct answers. In that sense, learning about cultural diversity promotes the understanding of others and leads to a deeper look at oneself. I give lectures daily thinking about how to make society better by making the best use of myself and others.

 

　Human resources who have acquired “independent knowledge” such as thinking about what they can do for others in the era of living with COVID-19 and the post-COVID-19 era. They must communicate, demonstrate creativity, and actively engage in problem solving. I think that human resources who can see Japanese society and the world from the perspective that not only myself but everyone is an “irreplaceable existence” are required in such eras. I am convinced that the activities of the Liberal Arts Institute of Research and Education will greatly contribute to the production of such human resources.

──It is important to discover one’s own irreplaceableness. I would like to introduce the story in “Part 2.”

 

（Continued to the second part）