JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2017

Presentation information

[JJ] Oral

M (Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary) » M-ZZ Others

[M-ZZ42] [JJ] Geoscience Studies: historical, philosophical and STS studies

Sun. May 21, 2017 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM A07 (Tokyo Bay Makuhari Hall)

convener:Michiko Yajima(College of Humanity and Science, Nihon University), Toshihiro Yamada(Research Fellow, Graduate School of Education, University of Tokyo ), Shigeyuki Aoki(School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Aizu), Shigeo Yoshida(Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University), Chairperson:Shigeyuki Aoki(School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Aizu), Chairperson:Shigeo Yoshida(Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University)

10:45 AM - 11:00 AM

[MZZ42-07] Psychosomatic human ability and mind climate

*Hiromichi Higashihara1 (1.Earthquake Research Inst., Univ. Tokyo)

Keywords:mind climate, emergent behavior, psychosomaticity

1. Significance of the project and subjects so far addressed
At the beginning of the “mind climate” study project (abbr. MC), an earth scientist and a western culture specialist built up the idea of the project as a development of their long activity in what they named “the science of philosophy of science”. They had started an inquiry how consensus can be attained across borders among strongly segmented natural sciences. A multidisciplinary team was then gathered on the basis of the philosophy of science.
There was another hidden objective. As Lindsey, A.D. pointed out, preparatory abundant discussion is necessary prior to agreements, or rather, discussion is much more substantial for democracy than the attained consensus itself. This is serious for us Japanese because there is terrible lack of discussion through almost all academic communities.
As we repeated the meeting, we became noticing that the range of the scientific logics was questionable. Here is where feedbacks from philosophy or other humanities are desirable. Philosophers and other humanities specialists have so far developed various technical terms that are useful for examination of the quality of logics.
Some time was dedicated to generic arguments. But any results derived from generic discussion remain generic. Accordingly; our MC study has to introduce specific contents earlier.
2. Psychosomatic dimension
MC is very chronic: human minds need to be viewed as a result of the evolution process of lives. (This is explaining why the MC plan was first raised by the earth scientists.) Up to now, we discussed about several matters like the tacit dimension , and the imprinting. All these phenomena designate human psychosomatic function, which is the result of the evolution of human bodies.
Above all, the phenomenon called “emergence” is important. During the long career as an engineering researcher, the author had a lot many chances to observe closely the human activity in the real world, finding that the real world was being completely controlled by competent experts, and that every genuine expert had a remarkable core of ability, emergence.
When an expert faces a problem, emergence starts. This process does not draw solutions from any "sort and merge" or any other sequential manners, and yet quickly outputs apparently suitable responses at once. In contrast, standard scientific analyses must first fragment the problem into elements, and solve them sequentially one by one. But even if all solutions are got, synthesis of them into a whole solution is difficult, or in many cases impossible. (Every scientist would acknowledge this.) Logical methods are thus of no use in the struggle for existence where agile reactions are vital: we realize that the development of the emergence mechanism has been a key to survival.
This is performed in the flesh underneath the consciousness. Emergence occurs solely when we input signals into the flesh: i.e., logics have no relevance. This is easily seen in case of sports and performance arts. But in case of legal profession or medicine as examples of brainworks, too, labored enormous quantity of memory becomes mature, i.e. fully integrated, only through the psychosomatic processing. The human psychosomatic ability covers several substantial facets of personality including the sense of justice and taste, which are more profound than logical matters. Many scientists are not prepared for this kind of subjects, but MC study will not be allowed to skip them.
Finally, let us see one ongoing study. In case of writings about the Japanese MC, foreign authors have a significant merit, less biasedness or multitude of points of view. This principle will work for Japanese authors, too. If they have firm belief on a world religion like Christianity or Islam, they are eligible as foreigners. Two books written by different strict Japanese Protestants are being read paralleled. They argued two different situations of the politics of one identical Japanese medieval regime, which was a brand-new samurai regime. It took over the government from a preceding aristocracy. It then met very big societal changes of an exceptional magnitude within the Japanese history. Such a great pressure is expected to surface some deep structure of Japanese MC.
Acknowledgement This work was supported by the Collaboration Research Program (IDEAS201608) of Chubu University.