Messages from from the Co-chairpersons

Philosophy is a discipline that proposes values. To whom? Of course, to people and society above all else. In order to give voice to people and society, philosophy must once again confront and engage with society.

At the same time, the world of the 21st century desperately needs a more pluralistic and multilayered approach to values. The Kyoto Institute of Philosophy was established as a milieu where these two trajectories meet, a “place” that links philosophy and society, and in dialogue between the two creates new views of humans and the world.

It is our mission and hope that the Kyoto Institute of Philosophy can be a forum where researchers and other people from around the world gather to discuss and exchange their ideas, create new social values and philosophical trends, and disseminate ideas originating from this culturally iconic city to the world.

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In the summer of 2019, I visited Professor Deguchi at Kyoto University to discuss the new information and communication infrastructure (IOWN: Innovative Optical and Wireless Network). His suggestion provided a clear insight: “A new social infrastructure needs a new philosophy.”.

In the present world, the advent of generative AI and new information communication infrastructures is presenting us with a high possibility of drastic change in society and people’s lives.

Furthermore, events like the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have put global security in an ever more challenging phase. The world today appears in various forms of division such as the Cold War structure and the North-South divide.

A constructive response to these situations, I believe, demands us to adopt a paraconsistent standpoint which embraces the coexistence of diverse values and thereby to bring about a new philosophy for the simultaneous flourishing of Western and Eastern values.

From Kyoto, we propose to create a multi-layered society of values. It is our aspiration to shape a hopeful future by orienting the fruits of technological innovation towards a richer society. Establishing the Kyoto Institute of Philosophy is the first step in this endeavor.

Purpose of Establishment

If the 20th century was the “century of science, technology, and economy,” then the 21st century is the “century of values.”

Today, it is evident that the advancement of science, technology, as well as economic prosperity, does not necessarily lead to people’s well-being or world peace. We are grappling with questions such as: “What is genuine happiness?” and “What values should we aim for?”

In the face of an increasingly pluralistic world, we recognize that there can be no single correct answer to these questions about values.

Moreover, it has been revealed that the concepts of individual identity and social uniformity are nothing but myths. There is a pressing demand for the establishment of a society with multiple layers of values, where these values accumulate.

The whole situation suggests an urgent need for reinvigorating philosophy as a discipline of proposing values, and hence, humanities that actively engage in society, or “engaging humanities.”

This new philosophy and humanities will not only focus on West European and North American thought, which became the de facto standard in the 20^th century. By shedding light on the traditions that thrive in various regions of the world such as Asia, Africa, Latin America, Oceania, and others, we aim to rearticulate them as worldviews with equal authenticity and thereby undertake the mission of fostering the “contradictory coexistence” of diverse values. The Kyoto Institute of Philosophy was established with the participation of a diverse group of people from industry, government, academia, and the public, both domestically and internationally, with the objective to form a global movement towards the realization of a multi-layered society of values by proposing diverse values from the historic and cultural city of Kyoto.

Actions

（1）　Formation of a Global Movement for the Realization of a Multi-Layered Society of Values

• Building a worldwide network aimed at forming a global movement
• Regularly holding the “Kyoto Conference,” where diverse people from all over the world gather to discuss ways to realize a multi-layered society of values

（2）　Value Proposals for a New Social Infrastructure

• Philosophical research oriented towards new value proposals
• Joint research between philosophy as the discipline of proposing values and adjacent disciplines in humanities, social sciences, and fields such as science, engineering, and medicine, etc.

（3）　Social Implementation of New Values

• Value co-creation activities with industry, government, academia, the public, and the art and design community, etc.
• Various projects aiming at the social dissemination of new values.

Guide for Joining as a Supporting Member

To further develop the activities of our institute, we have established a supporting membership system. We invite those who share our vision and are eager to support our endeavors to review the details provided in the table below. If you are align with our mission and objectives, we warmly encourage you to apply for membership.

Membership Types	Special Supporting Members	General Supporting Members
Main Benefits for Supporting Members	Membership magazine Regular World Reports Participation in various events Individual meetings and information exchange sessions with the chairpersons and others of our institute	Membership magazine Regular World Reports Participation in various events
Annual Membership Fee	3,000,000 yen	300,000 yen

Research Collaborators

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Association Structure

Kyoto Institute of Philosophy

Co-chairpersons

• Yasuo Deguchi, Ph.D. (Vice Provost, Vice Dean and Professor of Philosophy at Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University)
• Jun Sawada (Chairman and Representative Member of the Board, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)

Directors

Executive Advisor／Chief Strategist

Profile

Kyoto, Japan
contact@k-philo.org
https://k-philo.org/