RARA Newsletter vol.14 Leading Researchers in Cognitive Science Unravel the Mechanisms of the Mind and Body in an Age of “Fluctuation”—A Detailed Report on the AY 2024 RARA-sponsored Symposium

This newsletter features a detailed report on the AY 2024 RARA-sponsored symposium, which was held both in a hybrid format on March 12 and was a great success.

 

(The following summary was compiled by our writer.)

 

Held as part of the commemorative projects for the 155th anniversary of the founding of Ritsumeikan and the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Academy, the symposium took place both at the 5th- floor hall of Ritsumeikan University’s Suzaku Campus and online (via Zoom Webinar). The topic was “Dynamic Perception and Behavior for a New Perspective on Well-being: Exploring the Mind in a Fluctuating World through Cognitive Science.” A total of 570 people registered from within and beyond the university, with about 400 participating in real time. Lively discussions unfolded around topics such as the impact that the “fluctuations” and “indeterminacy” inherent in human perception and behavior may have on well-being.

 

Professor Norihiro Sadato (RARA Fellow) from the Ritsumeikan University Research Organization of Science and Engineering served as the moderator, and in his opening remarks, he spoke about the significance of the symposium as follows:

“In this post-COVID world, the rapid development of technologies such as generative AI is profoundly shaking up our view of what it means to be human. In times of upheaval like this, cognitive science offers us clues on how to pursue well-being and envision a richer future without losing our sense of humanity. By exploring the latest research on topics such as tactile perception, multisensory integration, the drivers of behavior, and the indeterminacy of cognition, I hope we can further the discussion on the mechanisms of human perception and action and mental and physical well-being in the future society.”

 

The symposium kicked off with an opening address by Ritsumeikan University President Yoshio Nakatani, in which he introduced the activities of RARA and expressed his hope that discoveries and new practices would emerge to help enhance well-being.

 

“Indeterminacy is important. We must embrace diverse viewpoints”: Professor Yuji Wada, College of Gastronomy Management, Ritsumeikan University

Next, Professor Yuji Wada (College of Gastronomy Management, Ritsumeikan University/RARA Fellow), who coordinated the symposium, took the stage to explain its aims.

 

“In science, what often gets emphasized are the ‘representative values’ and the ‘regularities’ that account for them. Yet just as important is the scatter —what looks like noise or error. Within that scatter may lie hidden signals and the secrets of science itself. This means the things you see and feel in everyday life could also be the subject of scientific inquiry. For example, why does a pudding look ‘soft’ to us? Even in something that simple, there are scientific secrets worth investigating.”

 

Prof. Wada explained why he chose the concept of ‘fluctuation’ for the topic of the symposium: “Today, the global situation is in flux—but in fact, our senses and perceptions also fluctuate. Sensation and recognition are by nature indeterminate, and psychologists have long incorporated this indeterminacy into their research.”

 

Next, he introduced the work of Professor Emeritus John Hopfield from Princeton University and Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton from the University of Toronto, who were awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.” Their research is what laid the groundwork for the remarkable advances in artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years. “In fact, even in neural networks, fluctuation and indeterminacy are considered important,” said Prof. Wada.

 

He then provided some examples from everyday life of Hopfield networks, which learn patterns of mutual connections based on the Hebbian theory of “Neurons that fire together, wire together.”

 

“For example, many sweets contain the smell of vanilla, so we develop a strong neuronal connection between ‘vanilla’ and ‘sweet,’ but vanilla is actually bitter to the gustation. The impression of sweetness in vanilla depends on the brain learning through associative networks, which are formed by our repeated experiences in daily life of sweetness from foods with a vanilla scent. Likewise, the compound isovaleric acid, which causes the smell of sweaty socks, is actually the very same compound responsible for the smell of natto, so if our brains always perceive isovaleric acid as ‘the smell of socks,’ then we would no longer be able to eat natto. This is why learned networks must remain in a state of indeterminacy to some extent.”

 

Prof. Wada also spoke about the late British roboticist Dr. Peter Scott-Morgan, who, while battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), called himself a “human cyborg.” Dr. Scott-Morgan attempted to merge with machines and AI in an effort to preserve his mind in AI form even as his physical body deteriorated. “In science fiction, humans have long dreamed of a computer with a mind of its own. Dr. Scott-Morgan attempted to achieve this, but since his body died in 2022, no one has been able to confirm whether he succeeded. The question of whether our minds can exist apart from our physical bodies remains unexplored territory. At this point in time, Dr. Scott-Morgan may have paradoxically shown us that our minds and bodies are inseparable. As human beings striving to transcend time and space with information technology, I believe it is time for us to reconsider this line of inquiry. I think that today’s symposium will be grounded in the recognition that the mind and the body are inextricably linked.”

 

Prof. Wada then moved on to the concept of well-being. “One way of thinking about well-being is to organize it into three types: medical, hedonic, and sustainable. If you lean too heavily toward one of these three types, it may fail to result in true well-being. Take sweets, for example. From a hedonic perspective, enjoying something sweet is positive, so one could say sweets contribute to well-being. On the other hand, if you look at the situation only from a medical standpoint, eating too many sweets could jeopardize your health, so sweets would be seen as detrimental to well-being.”

 

“In short, my message is this: we should embrace diverse ways of perceiving and thinking,” stated Prof. Wada, who concluded his remarks as follows: “There are differences between individuals, but also fluctuations within each person. I organized this symposium because I want everyone to appreciate—and I want to understand myself—the joy of continually maintaining fresh perspectives on both the ways of the world and science, and to realize that human perception and cognition are not systems that simply mirror the external world.”

 

Part 1: Latest findings on “fluctuation” and “indeterminacy”— Presentations by four leading researchers

 

In the first part, four speakers gave presentations about their research on the frontiers of cognitive science.

 

(1) The frontiers and applications of the cognitive science of shitsukan: Professor Shinya Nishida, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University

 

The first guest speaker was Professor Shinya Nishida of Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Informatics, who is known for his research on visual and other sensory information processing in human perception. Speaking on the topic of “The frontiers and applications of the cognitive science of shitsukan,” Prof. Nishida introduced recent studies from psychology, informatics, computer science, and neural networks to explore what constitutes shitsukan (i.e., the quality of materials and surfaces) and how humans perceive it.

Explaining the broad meaning of shitsukan, Prof. Nishida described it as “the brain’s decoding of the essential properties of objects and phenomena using all five senses.” “I want to understand how humans perceive the world,” he said. He aims to clarify the complex mechanisms by which people perceive not only color and shape, but also qualities such as “glossiness” or “wetness.” He continued:

“For example, when color saturation increases, objects appear wet. What’s important is that people unconsciously know this and use it as a basis for judgment when looking at things.”

Next, Prof. Nishida explained that the human visual system does not simply process raw images, but instead the human brain “works backwards” to estimate “what shape, lighting, material, and other conditions are present” to determine the resulting shitsukan. “Vision works by inverse inference, that is, it estimates in the reverse direction, to discern the attributes of an object. We see things by inferring information such as the reflectance of an object’s surface, the lighting environment, and shape.”

 

He continued his explanation, saying that, this inverse inference causes images to appear similar under different conditions, or the same object to appear differently under different conditions, resulting in an “undefined” state, which leads to “indeterminacy.”

 

“In recent years, the development of neural networks that use machine learning has made it possible to recognize objects, and we are approaching a stage where simulators using various networks can model the human brain on a scale that was previously impossible. I think we are entering a fascinating era.

 

In his other research, Prof. Nishida creates illusions by altering shitsukan using techniques like projection mapping, and he works on integrating diverse fields such as haptics. “I expect that multimodal and interdisciplinary approaches will generate new knowledge and technologies,” he said, pointing to the future possibilities of shitsukan research.

 

(2) “The pleasure of food through multisensory experience”: Professor Yuji Wada, College of Gastronomy Management, Ritsumeikan University

 

The next speaker, Professor Yuji Wada (RARA Fellow), introduced his multisensory research focused on eating. Emphasizing that eating is a core mental experience rather than merely an interaction with food, he remarked, “Eating is fundamentally multimodal, engaging many senses and layers of experience. Viewing eating through the lens of a grammar highlights the rich and diverse information it involves. As with seeing and hearing, eating is a fundamental activity of the human mind, demonstrating that the mind extends far beyond what we usually assume.”

Next, Prof. Wada projected an image of a wobbling pudding and posed a question: “Why does pudding look soft to our eyes? Most people immediately think the answer is that the pudding itself is soft.”

Then, he projected an optical illusion where a square that doesn’t actually exist appears to be a soft object swaying due to the pendulum-like motion of the blue lines within the circles. He continued: “What is creating the softness in this optical illusion? What do you think it is? Actually, it’s your own mind.”

After this, Prof. Wada turned to the concept of umwelt. As the German biologist and philosopher Jakob von Uexküll explains in A Foray into the Worlds of Animals and Humans, umwelt is the idea that living beings understand the world only through their own perceptions; each constructs its own unique world from the information available to it and acts in accordance with that worldview. “Humans, too, live within an umwelt. Once you understand how umwelts work, I think it’d be incredibly enjoyable to keep expanding your own umwelt using various tools.” he said.

 

Next, focusing on the fact that smell comes not only from the nostrils, but also from the back of the mouth at the time of exhalation,Prof. Wada elucidated and demonstrated this mechanism from his own research perspective. He devised and obtained a patent for a scent compound delivery device that works by blocking one nostril, inserting a tube, and delivering odor precisely at the moment of exhalation—creating the perception that the scent is coming from deep in the mouth.

 

“With this device, it was possible to have people smell a different food while eating, effectively using odor to alter the perceived quality of the food.”

To give an example of the perceptual fluctuations that contribute to ‘deliciousness,’ he introduced a dessert actually served in a restaurant: vanilla ice cream topped with natto. The combination of isovaleric acid, which gives natto its distinct odor, and vanilla unexpectedly yielded a chocolate-like perceptual experience.

 

He also kept the audience rapt by introducing topics on the multisensory nature of food, including visualization technologies that make the sweet or bitter flavors of chocolate more perceptible, as well as the finding that, since McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets come in four varieties, people are less likely to tire of them and can continue eating them more easily.

 

Prof. Wada then introduced a case in which using an avatar to take on a different gender or type of persona encouraged food choices that differed from one’s usual behavior, thereby demonstrating that even changing elements of one’s identity can cause eating behaviors to “fluctuate.”

 

“There is a phenomenon known as the Proteus effect, where the characteristics of an avatar in the metaverse can transform human performance. I think it would be exciting to explore how inhabiting different identities in the metaverse might change our eating behavior.”

 

Prof. Wada concluded with the following remarks: “Deliciousness is imagined through a kind of grammar applied to sensory inputs and experiences. If we could control the information that enters our senses and brain, it might be possible to generate new forms of deliciousness. Thinking about a future in which we can freely transform who we are is a fascinating prospect.”

 

(3) “Starting, stopping, and being unable to stop eating—Function and dysfunction in the relationship between sensory perception in eating and the gut-brain axis:” Professor Yasunobu Yasoshima, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University

 

The next guest speaker, Professor Yasunobu Yasoshima from the Graduate School of Human Sciences at Osaka University, explained the mechanisms behind overeating and addictive eating behaviors through the lens of behavioral neuroscience.

“What roles do the components of food actually play? Of course, they serve as the raw materials to build and maintain the body and as sources of energy to keep bodily functions running. But there is something else that is just as important.” With this question, Prof. Yasoshima drew attention to the roles of food.

 

“As Wada-san mentioned, in the mouth, taste and smell combine to create flavor perception. But in fact, inside the internal organs as well, the chemical components of food generate information.”

 

Prof. Yasoshima explained that signals from visceral sensation are transmitted to the brain to regulate the mechanisms that promote or suppress eating. “When we eat, signals are transmitted from the internal organs to the brain via the gustatory nerves as well as the vagus nerve and other visceral systems, and we use that information to regulate our eating behavior. Taste information and visceral sensory information can both promote and inhibit food intake.”

 

“It is said that the promotion and suppression of eating involve various factors such as hormones and blood sugar levels, maintaining balance through a complex system.” Prof. Yasoshima explained this as follows: “The chemical components contained in food serve as sources of information that drive this system. Furthermore, information is also sent from the brain to the internal organs, and it has become clear that during the act of eating, the brain and the gut engage in a kind of dialogue to adjust the process.”

 

So, despite there being a system to regulate eating, why do some people end up developing abnormalities such as overeating and eating disorders? To solve this riddle, Prof. Yasoshima has been conducting several studies.

One such study involves having mice experience the kind of unplanned dieting seen in humans to model and elucidate the biological mechanisms of overeating. “We subjected mice to very severe food restriction, occasionally allowed them to eat large amounts, and had them drink plenty of sweet substances daily. By around the seventh day, the mice—each weighing about 30 grams—began to display abnormal behavior, consuming about 4 grams of sweet sucrose solution within just one hour,” explained Prof. Yasoshima.

 

His study found that when mice were continually given the experience of consuming large amounts of sucrose solution, their blood glucose regulation system became impaired, brain responses declined, and it became more difficult for them to feel satiated. He further pointed out that when the function of the insular lobe of the cerebral cortex, which is believed to process taste and visceral sensations, declines and when its coordination with the amygdala breaks down, overeating could progress even further.

 

Drawing on such research findings, Prof. Yasoshima stressed: “Overeating is not merely a mental problem. It cannot be resisted solely by mental fortitude or willpower. If chronically inappropriate eating behaviors and dietary patterns occur, eventually the neural systems for appetite suppression in the brain become impaired, and the body itself changes accordingly.”

 

He concluded by emphasizing: “Those suffering from binge eating disorder or bulimia nervosa are tormented by negative feelings such as self-loathing and self-denial. By developing a better understanding of the bodily and neural changes related to eating, in addition to the mental aspects, I believe we can make real contributions to well-being.”

 

(4) “The indeterminacy of cognition: Cases from literature and art appreciation”: Associate Professor Miho Fuyama, College of Letters, Ritsumeikan University

 

The last speaker of the first part of the symposium was Associate Professor Miho Fuyama (College of Letters, Ritsumeikan University/RARA Associate Fellow). Using the idea of “quantum cognition,” she introduced her research that explores the value of indeterminacy, which can be associated with the indeterminate or ambiguous cognitive states involved in the interpretation of artistic experience.

Assoc. Prof. Fuyama, whose research focuses on text comprehension, started her talk by discussing the appeal of literature: “Reading is a truly mysterious phenomenon. Just by looking at what are essentially black-and-white blotches on a page, you can feel the reality of a story, change your beliefs, and even alter your perception of others, of yourself, and of society.”

 

Regarding the symposium’s central theme of indeterminacy, Assoc. Prof. Fuyama noted that while it has traditionally been the focus of much attention in the humanities, she aims to scientifically elucidate its mechanisms and potential. “In today’s world, when there is something we don’t know, we immediately search for it online or ask ChatGPT. There’s a prevailing tendency to want an answer right away and to decide things quickly. I worry that the value of indeterminacy itself may be fading,” she pointed out.

 

As a symbolic example, she cited Hiromi Kawakami’s novel Manazuru, where the protagonist’s use of “ikitai” (いきたい) can be interpreted either as “I want to live” (生きたい) or “I want to pass away” (逝きたい). She spoke about how this “indeterminate” reading itself generates a unique aesthetic experience and sense of immersion.

 

Next, Assoc. Prof. Fuyama explained that the effects of indeterminacy are not limited to artistic experience. In experiments on game theory and decision-making, such as the prisoner’s dilemma or Newcomb’s problem, indeterminacy can lead to decisions that deviate from the rational judgments assumed by classical probabilistic models.

 

“I believe there is a kind of reasoning specific to cognition involving uncertain situations and indeterminacy, including reasoning that may appear logical. When the world or the other party’s state can be seen as indeterminate, one may adopt the view that it is still possible to alter that state—that there remains room for influence.”

 

According to Assoc. Prof. Fuyama, one methodology that could address indeterminacy scientifically is a cognitive model that employs quantum probability theory. She explained as follows:

“One intuitively easy-to-grasp diagram is the Bloch sphere. It is one way of representing the state space for cognitive states. In the Bloch sphere representation, under the classical probability model, only the red area of the sphere on the left can be expressed. By contrast, the quantum probability model can express a much wider range of states, including the interior of the sphere—that is, the entire sphere (the red area of the sphere on the right). In this way, by using the quantum probability model, it becomes possible to represent richer forms of indeterminacy and superposition.”

Assoc. Prof. Fuyama revealed her intention to introduce this methodology into her research on literature and the arts, to clarify the relationship between indeterminacy and creativity.

 

To test whether, in reading comprehension, quantum-like states arise that cannot be explained by a simple probabilistic composition of states, she used Natsume Soseki’s collection of short stories Ten Nights of Dreams. In one experiment, participants were asked to interpret an ambiguous description regarding whether a female character was dead or alive. The results showed a significant order effect: responses differed depending on which question—“Is she alive?” or “Is she dead?”—was asked first. This suggests that indeterminate states that are difficult to explain under classical probability theory may be explained through quantum probability theory.

 

Assoc. Prof. Fuyama also mentioned that she and her joint research collaborators plan to apply the order effect of quantum probability to the study of mixed emotions in art appreciation, such as the experience of finding a painting “beautiful yet sad,” where positive and negative feelings coexist.

 

Visualizing the commonalities of the four speakers with graphic recording

 

After a short break, Yuka Shuzui, a graphic recorder, took to the podium to present a graphic recording of the four speakers’ presentations, visually organized using illustrations and words.

“The presentations were all very interesting. Taken together, the common threads are the words like ‘fluctuation’ and ‘indeterminacy,’ which I expect will be keywords in the following discussion,” said Ms. Shuzui.

 

Part 2: Panel discussion — How can we preserve our humanity and realize well-being in an “age of fluctuation”?

 

Part 2, which was moderated by Professor Norihiro Sadato (RARA Fellow), featured a panel discussion of the four speakers from Part 1: Professor Shinya Nishida, Professor Yuji Wada (RARA Fellow), Professor Yasunobu Yasoshima, and Associate Professor Miho Fuyama (RARA Associate Fellow). Numerous questions were submitted by both online and in-person participants, and a lively discussion ensued.

 

“We have no problem living with indeterminacy.”

 

In response to a participant’s question—“Isn’t it possible that what we think we are perceiving is itself an illusion? That we, as perceivers, are in fact indeterminate beings?”—Prof. Nishida replied:

“In the truest sense, if you ask whether we can completely recognize the physical world, that would be, of course, impossible. The world is much more complex: phenomena exist at the atomic level and on many other levels, but we cannot grasp them all. What we actually do is perceive the world in ways that are meaningful to us. We express the information that is necessary, but not the information that is unnecessary. For example, when I say I perceive the depth of this hall, I don’t do so in quantitative values, such as in meters and centimeters, like a computer. The brain handles this in a highly compressed form, relying only on things like order relations. If you think about it this way, in practice the brain allows for indeterminate forms. In other words, it has representations like ‘Well, this is good enough to live without any trouble.’ In that sense, we have no problem living with indeterminacy, and I think that is an extremely important point.”

 

If AI could explain and reproduce everything, what happens to “indeterminacy?” What does that mean for well-being?

 

A participant raised the following question: “If the indeterminate, fluctuating processes of perception and causality were fully explained and replicated by AI, would human beings still be able to maintain their well-being? Isn’t life interesting precisely because there are things that we don’t know?”

 

In response Prof. Nishida said: “We have to remember that today’s artificial intelligence is, at its core, statistical machine learning. No matter how advanced AI becomes or how much data it collects, it essentially remains statistical, inferring from past data. In most cases, its modeling is far from sufficient. If we don’t recognize this limitation, discussions risk sliding into an attitude of ‘indiscriminately fearing AI.’ That’s the empirical reality when it comes to debates about AI.”

 

Assoc. Prof. Fuyama agreed and added: “What concerns me is that the sense of ‘life is interesting precisely because of the unknown’ may be under threat in our society today. For instance, when Amazon recommends something to us, we happily buy it. Instead of spending time hesitating over whether an unfamiliar product—something not recommended based on past statistical data—might actually be interesting or good for us, we tend to want the ‘good’ products to be decided for us. So perhaps the real question is: can we still think there is value in not knowing? It might be worth pausing to reconsider how we assess that value.”

Then, turning to art, she said: “Beauty can be difficult. At museums, most people don’t spend much time on any one painting—especially if the galleries are crowded. They might spend only 30 seconds or so before moving on, often just reading the label and feeling as if they’ve understood the work. But can you truly experience beauty that way? If we lose the ability to see the value in not fully understanding, isn’t that itself a problem? I think it’s important to re-examine what value lies in the very state of ‘not knowing.’”

 

 

People use different parts of the body to sense and monitor, but they perceive with the entire body.

 

Many participants also posed questions about Prof. Yasoshima’s presentation, such as:
“I thought that perception was basically the five senses, but if we are also perceiving through the gut and internal organs, does that mean we have other sensory organs as well?” and “Assuming that abnormalities in the informational structure of the body and brain will progress further, are there any findings on the ‘distorted ways of seeing things’ associated with eating disorders?”

 

First, Prof. Yasoshima explained that sensory reception takes place throughout the body, not just in the digestive tract: “For example, when we breathe, we are catching all sorts of substances in the air through the trachea and so forth. If we inhale some kind of gas, a mechanism is triggered to expel it via a chemical receptor response, that is, coughing. Furthermore, sensing takes place in various parts of the body, monitoring things like blood sugar level, the partial pressure of oxygen, and sodium concentration, and that information is sent to the brain. Then the motivation arises to ingest whatever is lacking, which leads to behavior.”

He continued: “In fields like psychosomatic medicine or psychosomatic psychiatry, it is often said that people with anorexia demonstrate distortions in cognition. Even though they should physically be able to perceive the size of their body correctly when looking in the mirror, at the point of interpretation, their perception becomes distorted and they think they look too fat. The visual processing is working, but the interpretation within a social context becomes abnormal. That is what we mean by a distortion of cognition.” He concluded by stating, “I feel that this also connects to the idea of ‘indeterminacy.’”

 

 

“Never before in human history have our self-images been so exposed.”

 

Regarding the issue of body image, Prof. Nishida said: “First of all, this is probably the first time in human history that our self-images have been so exposed. He continued:

“In the past, people rarely had their photos taken, and there were few opportunities to see themselves objectively. Now, however, our own images are constantly being exposed, which is quite a difficult situation when it comes to mental health. For human beings, this kind of radical environment is unprecedented, so we need to seriously consider countermeasures. If we emphasize not only vision but also other sensory modalities—for example, the world with eyes closed or the world of voices—there may be possibilities for resolving this problem.”

 

Turning to the issue of how to correct a distorted body image, regain self-control and autonomy, and engage with the body in ways that connect to well-being, each of the panelists offered their views, and a lively discussion ensued.

 

Assoc. Prof. Fuyama pointed out: “When we think about autonomy, there is the difficulty of determining how far the boundaries of the ‘self’ extend.” She continued: “In addition to the autonomy of ‘this’ self, it is also possible to find autonomy within the ‘self’ that includes the loosely controllable aspects I discussed in my lecture. When taken in this way, the scope of what you can change may expand. This overlaps with the idea that ‘there is hope precisely in what is undecided.’ I also feel that expanding the five senses may lead to transformations in the mode of selfhood. Expanding the self in new ways could change our understanding of autonomy and freedom. The internet may already be one such example.”

 

In response, Prof. Sadato said, “This brings to mind Spinoza’s concept of ‘freedom.’

 

Spinoza’s claim is that if everything is determined by causality, then there is no such thing as free will. This means that any given outcome arises from some context, so the inevitable question arises: is there no freedom at all? Therefore, there is the view that freedom exists in understanding the self as an expression of the power of the whole, where such expression is voluntary. In other words, rather than a closed self, it may be more appropriate to understand the self as an open self—a dynamic structure formed through interactions with various environments. The discussion of autonomy and interaction also relates to the possibility of coexistence.”

Next, Prof. Wada spoke about the future of how we will live with our bodies. “In Japan, there is an old saying roughly equivalent to ‘My stomach bug is in a bad mood,’ which people used when they were in a bad mood. This suggests that they felt like somebody else was controlling their body. For example, pancreatic cancer and other conditions can progress without us noticing anything, so in this way, we may not be aware of the state of our own internal organs. If signals could be mechanically detected through vital signs, and if there were a world where those signals could be made manifest, then perhaps we could move to the next stage of how we engage with our bodies.”

 

He concluded with the following idea: “Imagine a scenario where our bodies could talk to each other, saying things like ‘My body is telling me it’s not feeling well, so let’s not go out drinking tonight.’ I think it would be fascinating if we could use AI or other technologies to become the next stage of human beings.”

At the end of the discussion, Prof. Sadato concluded the session by saying, “At Ritsumeikan University, under the R2030 Academy Vision’s motto of ‘Challenge your mind. Change our Future,’ we are making strides toward becoming a next-generation research-intensive university dedicated to the creation of new social symbiotic values and spurring innovation. We kindly ask for your continued support.”

RARA Student Fellow poster session and networking event

 

On the day of the event, a poster session by RARA Student Fellows was held simultaneously at the venue and attracted many participants. Participants and students were seen enthusiastically exchanging opinions on their research content and future visions, as well as consulting each other about concerns regarding research methods, career paths, and more.

According to a survey returned by 140 online and in-person participants, responses indicated that the symposium sparked interest in concepts like indeterminacy and fluctuation, with one participant stating they “gained an understanding of difficult topics like quantum mechanics.” Another participant said the symposium served to “make visible the future potential of early-career researchers.”

 

Participants also expressed their desire for more symposia to be held on the topic of well-being and their expectations for events that bridge Natural Sciences and Humanities, and their comments indicated a high level of interest in the discussion that explored topics like “cognition” and “the self” from multiple disciplines.