午夜剧场

I studied philosophy in France as an international student from 1992 to 2003. In 2006, I became a full-time faculty member at the Faculty of Science and Technology of this Juku, and at the same time, I was put in charge of a course titled "Science and Philosophy." Originally, I wrote my doctoral dissertation on the French philosopher Jacques Derrida's interpretation of Hegel, and my research was in a field within contemporary Western philosophy that has a relatively high interest in the history of philosophy. Therefore, "science" was not necessarily a major theme for me until then.

"Science and Philosophy" is a general education course for third- and fourth-year students in the Faculty of Science and Technology. Through trial and error, I wanted to provide students—who will likely be active in fields related to science and technology in the future—with a rich perspective by exposing them to profound thoughts that discuss science from a philosophical standpoint. However, there was a problem: even if I gave lectures on the grand, deep ideas provided by philosophers like Martin Heidegger and the view of science and technology seen through those ideas, it was difficult to connect them to concrete guidelines for action for scientists and engineers.

In the midst of this, I had the opportunity to study in France again for two years starting in the spring of 2012. This gave me time not only to re-examine the content of the "Science and Philosophy" class but also, more fundamentally, to reset the direction of my future research. I felt I was able to find a philosophy that I could deeply empathize with philosophically and feel a sense of substance as a research subject—and which simultaneously included somewhat concrete considerations regarding modern science and technology that could draw the interest of students in the Faculty of Science and Technology—in the work of the philosopher Bruno Latour. I decided to set his thought as my new research subject.

Due to this background, since the 2014 academic year, the "Science and Philosophy" course has centered on Latour's philosophy and philosophy of science, and I have readjusted the direction of my own research accordingly. Since such an adjustment involves a change in specialization, it entails a certain amount of sacrifice in terms of both time and effort, but I believe it was necessary. I think any researcher may face a situation where the direction of their research changes, but in my case, it was related to my commitment to a single course.