Graduate School of Letters, Arts and SciencesWaseda University

 Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences

From the Dean

KAKIUCHI Keiko

The remarkable progress of AI prompts us to reassess the value of human intellectual and creative pursuits, which brings us to this question: How relevant is it to pursue academic studies and research in humanities at graduate school? Eventually, AI could have the capability to instantaneously generate research papers that are of better quality than those that researchers spend a significant amount of time writing. There is, however, one thing that AI cannot take away from us. That is the joy and satisfaction of academic studies and research. If only the specific research achievements mattered, sooner or later, research conducted by humans would be replaced by AI and be a thing of the past. No matter how advanced AI becomes, however, the joy and satisfaction that researchers themselves experience in their work can never be taken away from them. In my opinion, those who appreciate the true meaning of a sense of joy and satisfaction are the people who will be needed the most in the future.

Some people may argue that finding the value of academic studies and research in the joy and satisfaction that researchers feel from their work is merely a reflection of their ego or self-satisfaction. However, I strongly believe that only those who know the true meaning of a sense of joy and satisfaction can make people happy and make our society a better place.

In The Analects of Confucius, which is my area of expertise, there is a passage by him that states: The Master said, “The ancient scholars studied for their own improvement. Modern scholars study to impress others.” At first glance, this quote seems to suggest that the ancient scholars studied for themselves or they studied for self-satisfaction or self-interest, while modern scholars study for others or they study something useful for their society and others. It seems that modern scholars are praised more than the ancient scholars. However, what Confucius meant is quite contrary to what the quote seems to suggest. What he meant is that the ancient scholars studied to improve themselves, while modern scholars study to seek recognition by others. Confucius pointed out that the way ancient scholars studied captured the true essence of learning. As Confucius indicated, scholars who learn for themselves will embark on a journey of personal growth, which will then enable them to become valuable members of society.

Learning and conducting research is fun. However, the true joy and satisfaction of academic studies and research, which goes beyond the boundaries of the satisfaction of your intellectual curiosity, can only be felt through relentless effort and interaction with others. Without a doubt, there is no greater joy or satisfaction than that you gain from sharing your joy and satisfaction with members of your community. I believe that such a sense of joy and satisfaction is the only area in which human beings can compete with AI and that it is the true value of academic studies and research.

At the Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences (GLAS), Waseda University, first-class faculty members in their respective areas of expertise and highly motivated colleagues vigorously engage in their research activities every day. GLAS offers an extensive range of academic research programs as well as intellectual exchange programs, including overseas programs. Be part of the GLAS community and join us in pursuing and sharing the true joy and satisfaction of academic studies and research.