Kyoto Institute of Philosophy established by NTT - Guidance for domestic and international companies toward realizing a society with diverse values

On July 18th, NTT, together with Professor Yasuo Deguchi of the Department of Philosophy, the Graduate School of Letters at Kyoto University (also Vice Dean, Vice Provost), established the Kyoto Institute of Philosophy, a general incorporated association. With this Institute, they aim to achieve the realization of a society with diverse values, where Western values and Japanese/East Asian values coexist in a way that allows for contradictions, in pursuit of a paraconsistent world.

The pandemic of the novel coronavirus and such events as Russia's invasion of Ukraine have been deepening the divisions between the East and West, as well as between the North and the South on a global scale. In response to these circumstances, this Institute was established based on the idea that a new philosophical perspective that recognizes and respects diverse values is presently needed.

The Institute will initiate activities focusing on the humanities centering on philosophy to construct a new philosophical perspective that addresses various aspects of human beings, objects, and phenomena, leading to the realization of a society where diverse elements coexist collaterally and contribute to solving contemporary social issues.

Through these activities, the Institute will propose global value standards that can serve as medium- to long-term guidelines for domestic and international companies. This will create a new social value and order based on sustainable thinking in the value-layered society. Furthermore, by exploring and developing new value formation and value strategies that reconcile both Japanese/East Asian ideologies and Western ideologies, a movement theory will be established that involves industries and society as a whole, both domestically and internationally.

To address the various issues in modern society, the Institute focuses on studying the humanities, particularly philosophy, and seeks to philosophically systematize the values of Japan and East Asia as an alternative (coordinate thought) that can engage in dialogue with Western thought. Furthermore, it aims to propose and implement this philosophical perspective in society, striving to achieve the realization of the value-layered society where Western and non-Western values can coexist in a way that allows for contradictions. Additionally, it seeks to promote the rise of humanities studies that aspire to actively engage with society.

The Institute is located at 19-1 Nishi-Kujo-Sugata-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto (URL: https://k-philo.org/). The founding members of the Institute are NTT and Professor Deguchi. Deguchi was appointed as the Representative Director of the Institute.

As co-researchers, Professor Jay L. Garfield at Smith College, USA Doris Silbert Professor, (Visiting Professor at Harvard Divinity School, USA) and Professor Graham Priest at the University of Melbourne, Australia (Boyce Gibson Professor Emeritus, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Graduate Center of City University of New York, USA) are involved with this Institute.

As a specific activity, they will conduct a research project called 'Build a discourse space for the articulation of global values,' which involves domestic and international researchers for a certain period. By creating a discourse space consisting of academic books, scholarly articles, general introductory books, media content, and more in multiple languages, they aim to provide coordinates for the global value strategy, with a focus on the 'Kyoto Conference.'

Furthermore, they will transform the collaborative research and projects conducted in dialogue with humanities researchers, and industry, academia, government and civil society professionals, as well as scientists, technologists, artists, and designers, into multimedia content to implement their values in society.

Additionally, by regularly hosting the 'Kyoto Conference,' that brings together world-renowned experts to discuss global economic, environmental, and other issues, they aim to strategically promote the establishment of new global value standards.

A commemorative symposium is scheduled on January 19th next year, and partner companies and supporters will receive invitations in February. Plans are underway to issue the Kyoto Declaration and hold the Kyoto Conference starting from fiscal year 2024.