J. Home Econ. Jpn. Vol. 50 No. 12 1303•`1307 (1999)

Keynote Speech II

The Tide of Technology

Dr.Hiroyuki YOSHIKAWA

President, Science Council of Japan

The Birth of Engineering Science

Since the origin of humankind, technology has

existed primarily, independent of engineering or

science. The human life has been entirely supported

by technology.

Engineering is a discipline to systematize technol-

ogy. The notion of discipline originated in Greece was

introduced into technology after the Industrial

Revolution and the knowledge system was established.

Since then, engineering and technology have interact-

ed with each other keeping close relationship, and

today's engineering which comprehends many do-

mains has been formed.

The modern age was painted with the exploitation

or the expansion of the frontiers. The main motive for

the Age of Voyage beginning at the end of 15th

century was based upon the desire for the expansion

of the frontiers towards unknown geographic areas.

The frontiers were expanding with surprise and

benefit going together.

In the domain of knowledge the frontiers were also

opening up successively. Stimulated by the conflict

with contagion and decomposition of food, germs

were found, and then bacteriology was generated.

Thus general microbiology was encouraged to be

formed and the frontiers of the domain have

expanded into bioscience and biotechnology, from

which the humankind will receive a lot of benefit.

Motivated by the frontier spirits for building

stronger, safer and longer-lived machines and archi-

tectures, mechanical engineering, architectural en-

gineering, structural mechanics and so on were

produced and developed in the field of engineering.

The desire for going further and faster was

systematized into motor engineering and aircraft

engineering, while the expansion of the frontiers of

the availability of information lead up to the

development of telecommunication engineering and

electronics.

These actions stimulated by the desire for expand-

ing the limitation are necessary for living. The

fundamental desire for identifying one's existence,

caused by the expansion of activities and the knowledge about new materials, lies at the roots of

these actions. The Industrial Revolution, which is widely known to

have invented electric power, also produced another important invention, that is industry. Formation of

industry, which is an impersonal organization, urges to establish the efficient social system, in which

people get jobs, work, buy what people produced and live. In that process the fractionalization, the division of work by specialists, has occurred.

Division of work by specialists, in other words, the method of dealing with limited things wag actually

invented by Sir Isaac Newton. He intended to explain the whole nature consistently as a natural philosopher. What Newton did first was to choose only dynamics from natural phenomena and to create the systematic

discipline of dynamics, next chose optics and then matter. He had an idea that the whole natural

phenomena could be explained systematically as an assemblage by picking up the phenomena one after another. Since Newton was a natural philosopher and a genius, he tried these several domains successively

by himself. This idea of fractionalization became a social

phenomena and produced specialists. An occupation structure in which each specialist expands the frontiers has established. Those who consider the frontier of stronger machine are quite different from

those who try to expand the frontier of the availability of information. One person does not deal with both these frontiers. The basic desire for the frontier expansion and the Newton's invention of domain

formation were combined into an efficient social structure with division of work by specialists where

the structure of science and the structure of occupation were well harmonized. Science and society advanced concurrently and brought about the abun-dant society.

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Limitation of Environmental Artificiality

The socialization of technology and the progress of specialization of technology kept with the develop-

ment of society. The expansion of frontiers in every domain was based on its own manufacturing technol-

ogy. But the manufacturing technology had not been admitted to join in engineering for a long time, concealed under the current of the frontier expan-

sion. It was after the World War II when manufactur-ing technology joined in engineering.

At any rate, it was manufacturing technology that

really made products. Engineers in each domain manufactured them independently and as the result

of this the artificial environment was formed. The artificial environment such as urban space, communi-cation system and traffic system were established by

manufacturing technology. They were separated from each other. There was no integrated viewpoint

towards their whole image. This occurred not accidentally but quite necessari-

ly, influenced by the action principle of human being since 18th century. This was the result of indepen-

dent frontier expansion of scores of domains. The quantity as well as the quality of technology

have a great influence on environmental issues. In ancient times the human being lived in harmony with

overwhelming nature, keeping "wildness" which Levi-Strauss called. However, in occidental society, people

try to survive by conquering nature. For example, they did not keep company with a pest but tried to

pursue it thoroughly. After finding it out, they banished it and survived. This is a kind of the frontier expansion. Consequently, they not only banished

germs but also got the ability to handle germs in general. Moreover, they have developed a great discipline system of biotechnology, as mentioned before. Pest was a local problem, but the biotechnology can

be applied in many fields such as agriculture, control of forest, and extermination of destructive insects. As a consequence of expanding the desire of human

being who had harmonized with nature, the quantity of technology has become extremely great.

As a result, in the last two hundreds years, artificial

chemical substances have diffused and acid rain have fallen even over virgin forests, which was barely left in the world and was hardly stepped into by human being. In addition, destruction of ozone layer have

influenced the virgin forests. By expanding techno-

logical frontiers, the comfortable and inhabitable

environment for human being was created locally,

however, its influence have covered the whole earth.

Enlargement of technological quantity bring about

the mutual relationship between activities in one

discipline and those in other discipline. For example,

in the past, a person who pursued speed and a person

who tried to have a good harvest expanded respective

frontiers independently. There was no relation each

other. However, in these days when we have come to

compete with others in speed everywhere, traffic

network had been formed over the country and

exhaust gas has produced acid rain. It causes a bad

influence on the crops. Due to the enlargement of

technological quantity, spatial mutual actions have

come into being everywhere.

In the past, pollution was also local. As a company

had neglected the disposal of rubbish or exhaust gas,

people in the area got ill. On the other hand,

destruction of global environment exists in a different

situation. For example, it is said that main cause of

the destruction of ozone layer is freon gas, which has

several sources of its incidence. While freon gas is

used as an excellent cleanser in electronic industry, it

is emitted from spray of living things. In regard to

freon used for making a clutch panel of a car, it is

emitted as freon gas when the car runs. The quantity

of emission from each equipment or instrument was

very small so there was no influence within this

limitation, but these emissions have come to be

combined together with a synthetic effect. As a result,

it brought an evil influence. There is no blame on the

frontier expansion-oriented policy, however, it has

become clear that we should not watch only the first

effect of an action in one discipline. We should also

watch the side effect. We are now encountering the

times when unexpected big influences may appear as

synthetic effects of actions in one discipline and

others.

Change of Technological Paradigm

When we look at the process in which environment

become artificial rapidly, one direction of solution can

be seen as a matter of course. This indicates that we

need an integrated viewpoint toward the manufactur-

ing technology.

In the past, Newton tried to solve nature as a

natural philosopher with a philosophy like Democritus,

but he could not. Therefore he created firstly system

of dynamics, secondly optics and thirdly learning of

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The Tide of Technology

matter, as mentioned above. After two hundred years

since then, Einstein succeeded to explain matter and ray (light) by the theory of relativity. It is physics that can be finally unified by continuing to research the

micro world like Einstein. If you watch a micro world in physics, an integrated principle will be found out.

On the other hand, engineering science should not be watched with a viewpoint of micro. For example, Hooke's law and Ohm's law are independent each

other and they have no relation. The relation between Hooke's law and Ohm's law can be explained if you enter atomic and electronic world by the principle of

physics and mention the theory of crystallography and electron. However it is not engineering science.

Engineering science can calculate, for example, the strength of a pillar with a viewpoint of macro. Therefore, another principle different form Einstein's

is needed to integrate electronic engineering with mechanical engineering. It is supposed to be realized one of these days, but unfortunately there is no

person in engineering science who has attained that. Analyzing and subdividing are comparatively easy. On the other hand, integrating is a difficult work. Physics

also needed genius of Einstein. It is a work which call for wisdom. I think that it is contained in Methodology watching systematically manufacturing technology. In

my opinion, from the process of integrating manufac-turing technology by Methodology, engineering sci-ence which is totally different from usual engineering

science will appear. In fact, this idea took hold of me and I proposed general design science thirty years ago. General design science is to extract common

concept of design among building design, machine design, circuit design and so on.

Usual methods of machine design present elements

of the machine in the first place, for example, when

you make a transmission. The methods secondly teach that you can make a machine you want, if you connect these elements. In the same way, when you

make a device for dispatch, it first indicates elements of circuit, and secondly teaches combining them. When entrance is a machine, the way out is also a machine. When electricity is the start, electricity is

the end as well. However, both of them have a common function of transmitting signals. In that case,

the first transmission does not have to be a machine, or it may be replaced with electronic device. In brief,

general design science is to fundamentally think what the human being hope or want to do toward the

external world at the level of abstract in the extreme,

and is to design, forgetting the words of mechanics or

electronics at the starting point in a sense. Of course, there might be another way to see manufacturing technology with the integrated point of view. In all

cases, I have been thinking for thirty years that if we consider the activities of the human beings from the viewpoint different from the past, modification will be

possible to integrate these subdivided disciplines in engineering science.

I started before that engineering has a structure of development form. Development form is the action which changes the nature into being useful for the

human being. This is the expansion of the frontier. At first, there is material. Material is changed into

element. It is put together and produced. All go through the same process. However, material does not exist in the earth. It is circulating. Why is the

earth stable like this ? This is not because the earth stands still at an absolute temperature of zero degree.

Ocean currents stream, and energy comes from

outside to get absorbed in the earth. This absorption causes great convention in the earth, forming global circulation of matters. As a part of this circulation, life

appears, repeats its birth and death, and join in the circulation. It is also a multi-level circulation. If some matter enters the magma inside the earth, it

circulates at a long cycle of hundreds of years. Short cycle case is that the same elements such as carbon dioxide, oxygen or carbon, circulate between animals and plants at a cycle of several weeks.

If we think that matter or materials circulate as mentioned above, it comes to be unnatural that metal engineering is defined as the one where ores are

changed into materials and mechanical engineering or process engineering is defined as the one where wheels are made from iron ores. It is because we

think that material does exist that today's scientific system of engineering has been formed. If we had been on the standpoint that the earth must not be

changed, such domains mainly devoted to changing matters could have never been formed. If we had been on the standpoint that the circulation should not

be disturbed, "circulation" would have become a main theme and an engineering science different from the today's one would have been established.

At present, the sustainable development rather

than quantitative expansion is required. To sustain is to mod jfy the expansion of frontiers drastically, which we have ever pursued till these days. A slight thought will make us understand very well that the system of

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science must change. The way of thinking, from development towards circulation, has become rapidly the global tide in these five years.

How do we modify the subdivision of science ? Each knowledge is important, so we must not throw it

away, and knowledge elements are unchangeable. Therefore, the structure should be changed. It is required that the mission of expanding the frontiers

be reduced to half and the rest be devoted to the reconstruction of the great amount of human knowledge. It is essential to reconstruct the knowl-

edge in order to correspond to the great change of aim, that is from development towards sustainability, and I also want to call it the basic research. It seems

that Physics and Sociological Studies are in the same conditions as in Engineering. Consequently, the basic research has two aspects. One is the research of

expanding the frontiers and the other is that of reconstructing the knowledge.

The latter is, as a matter of fact, the research of education, that is, how we teach the system of knowledge to the next generation. By the convention-al method, to pursue the frontier of materials is one

thing, and to study the function of biology thoroughly is another thing, and we teach that there is no relationship between Electronic Engineering and

Biology. But in the education of reconstructing the knowledge, we teach the relationship between them. If the reconstruction of the knowledge is realized,

traditional Electronic Engineering might disappear. Today, the academies are said to have little

devotion to education, sharing 90% of their time to

research and only 10% to teach. This is because there is neither system of estimating the education, nor study of reconstructing the knowledge and using it. It was a mistake to think that only the expansion of

frontiers was a prestigious research. The expansion of frontiers is coming in the era of loosing human interest. While we have a way of pursuing the human

happiness by reconstruction of the knowledge, the study of using the knowledge has been left behind.

For example, constructing a new bridge is not

profitable, so we take great pains to increase users. This way is putting the cart before the horse. Rather than this, we have to make a new software for more

comfortable society by reconstructing the existing bridges. Civil Engineering which pursues how to construct better bridges, or Automobile Engineering, for speed, would lead to no solution. The brain

beyond traditional academic domains, such as the

integration of Sociology and Engineering, or Legal Studies will be needed. It is wrong and shameful that

science does nothing but leaving the arising issues tc the politicians.

With this in my mind, I have proposed to look at

both the science and whole knowledge with bird's-eye view at the Science Council of Japan. This way of looking is not the same as the interdisciplinary one

The interdisciplinary study is to narrow the gap, or tc fill up the missing point on the flat plane. However

the bird's-eye view is to overlook something apart from the individual ground. I do not think that science which human being is really pursuing would

be born without a bird's-eye view. For this reason, I have organized a committee for

"Education and Environment"in the Science Council

of Japan. At first, doubts arose from the committee members, such as Education has the culture of

pedagogy, Environment is quite different from it and not a science. However, as the discussion progresses they have come to understand the necessity for changing Education, and also to understand that the

process of changing the education is similar to the orbit from development towards environment in which Environment should change. In this way, the deliberation has deepened.

The present recession in Japan is due to lack of

(missing) goods which consumers want to buy. In this

point, consumers are right. On the other hand, the problem arises that university education is neglected, In such manners, the social phenomena which are familiar to us have close relation to the subdivision of

science actually. In order to make the substantial change for the better education, we must form the academic environment where we can write theses on

education and they will be socially evaluated. For this reason, we are making efforts to set up an institute for the second basic research and also provide

research expenses. The paradigm shift from develop-ment towards circulation is occurring everywhere as the social phenomenon. We should correspond to this movement.

Collaboration between Industry and University has two aspects as well. One is the expansion of frontiers. It will produce the new products, and the companies

increase their competitive powers. This traditional collaboration between them is the one that the companies get the new knowledge from the universi-ties and develop new products. On the contrary, the

other is the one to reconstruct the scattered

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The Tide of Technology

knowledge such as design of production, and to

educate it systematically. It is the reconstruction for education. The former means that industries have the

intentions, and that the universities where the basic research is conducted has the materials. The latter means that the universities have the intentions, and

the industries have materials made by the concrete knowledge. Though the industries have the knowl-edge, they do not systematize it because the

systematization makes no profit directly. The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

(JSPS) deals with the issues concerning the collabora-tion between Industry and University, and I have also

proposed to JSPS that the basic research as well as traditional expansion of frontiers should be dealt with in parallel with the reconstruction of the knowledge.

Concerning the research funds by government, only Ministry of Education has so far had it. But since 1996 fiscal year, the seven Ministries, such as Ministry of Education, Science and Technology

Agency, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Transport

and Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, have been able to have their own research funds. And they have invited the public applications for the basic research fund in order to improve each administra-

tion. This is just one example, but there are many other things that can be carried out practically.

Internationalization

Without the mutual international relationship, nei-ther Japanese technology nor culture would be formed. Internationalization and the study on the foreign countries will make us understand the strong

points of Japan and make it possible to leave the excellent culture to the future generation in Japan. For realizing this, the ability to have conversation with foreigners is indispensable.

In my experience, reading foreign books is interesting and also effective, but it is not enough. I talk my opinion frankly to the foreigner, get an unexpected response from him/her. When I react it again and can make myself understood realize that I realize that I can fully understand the characteristic of Japan or myself about ten times as much as before. Reading foreign books or contributing an article to the foreign special magazines is the preparation for conversation. It is important to communicate directly.

At present, English happens to be an international language. We can talk with almost all the people on the earth in English. Except those who grew up abroad, very few people can speak English fluently in Japan. It is a great problem. So I think, through setting up a 100 year-project, we should make it a requirement for English teachers of junior and senior high schools to stay abroad for several years.

The internationalization is a great requirement in order to shift Japan's role from development to circulation towards 21st century. Therefore, I would like to stress again that essential of this inter-nationalization is the language.

テクノロジーの潮流

吉川 弘之

(日本学術会議会長)

入 間の生 活 はテ クノロ ジー に よって支 え られて きた.エ ン ジニ ア リ ングは,テ クノ ロジー を

体 系化 す るた めの学 問 分野 であ り,産 業革 命後,知 の体 系が確 立 され た.以 来,未 知 の領 域の

開拓 ・開発 が驚異 的 に進め られ,多 くの領 域 を包含す る今 日のエ ンジニ ア リングが形 成 され た.

様 々 な分野 の独 立 した先端技 術 の拡大 は必 然 的 に学 問 の細分 化 を促 した.1つ の学 問領域 にお

ける最 初 の効果 だけ に主眼 がお かれ た結果,相 互関 連 のな い個 々の テク ノ ロジーの量,質 の拡

大 とと もに,副 次効 果 と して環境 に悪 影響 が与 え られ る ように なった.す なわ ち環境 の 人工化

の限界 に きた とい え る.そ こで,エ ンジニ ア リングサ イエ ンス にお ける これ らの細分 化 され た

学 問 を,未 知 の領域 を拡 大 す る側 面 と,も う一 方 は,環 境 との調和 の上 に知 を再 構築 す る とい

う2側 面 か ら捉 える こ とが必 要 であ る.先 端 技術 の拡 大の みの追 究か ら,個 々の立場 か ら離れ,

鳥 瞰 的 ・総 合 的 な見方 をす る こ とが重 要 だ とい うテ クノ ロジーパ ラダイ ムの変換 が,持 続 可能

な社 会 の創 造 の ため に今 求 め られ て い る.そ して国 際化 は,21世 紀 に向 けて 日本 の役 割 を開

発 か ら循 環 に移 す ための大 きな必要 条件 で ある.

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