Masaaki Shichiji - Retiring in AY2025
Participant Profile
Masaaki Shichiji
German Literature, German Art History1982: Graduated from the Department of Literature, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, with a Major in German Literature 1984: Completed the Master's Program in the Major in German Literature at the Graduate School of Letters, Keio University 1985: Studied abroad at the University of Cologne, Germany, as a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholarship student (returned to Japan in 1988) 1989: Withdrew from the Doctoral Programs in the Major in German Literature at the Graduate School of Letters, Keio University, after completing all course requirements 1989: Part-time Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Policy Management, and Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University (until 1991); Part-time Lecturer at Meiji Gakuin University (1989–1991, 1993–present) 1991: Assistant at the Faculty of Economics, Keio University 1993: Full-time Lecturer at the Faculty of Economics, Keio University 1994: Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics, Keio University 2002: Professor at the Faculty of Economics, Keio University (to present) 2013: Part-time Lecturer at the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology and the Faculty of Letters, The University of Tokyo (until 2015)
Masaaki Shichiji
German Literature, German Art History1982: Graduated from the Department of Literature, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, with a Major in German Literature 1984: Completed the Master's Program in the Major in German Literature at the Graduate School of Letters, Keio University 1985: Studied abroad at the University of Cologne, Germany, as a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholarship student (returned to Japan in 1988) 1989: Withdrew from the Doctoral Programs in the Major in German Literature at the Graduate School of Letters, Keio University, after completing all course requirements 1989: Part-time Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Policy Management, and Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University (until 1991); Part-time Lecturer at Meiji Gakuin University (1989–1991, 1993–present) 1991: Assistant at the Faculty of Economics, Keio University 1993: Full-time Lecturer at the Faculty of Economics, Keio University 1994: Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics, Keio University 2002: Professor at the Faculty of Economics, Keio University (to present) 2013: Part-time Lecturer at the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology and the Faculty of Letters, The University of Tokyo (until 2015)
A Place to Learn "How to Question"
On My Memories as a Faculty Member at the Faculty of Economics
The philosopher Kant wrote three "Critiques": "Critique of Pure Reason" (Kritik der reinen Vernunft), "Critique of Practical Reason" (Kritik der praktischen Vernunft), and "Critique of Judgment" (Kritik der Urteilskraft). If you trace the etymology of words like the German Kritik, the English critic, the French critique, and the Spanish crítica, you will find they lead back to the Greek κριτική (kritikē). Originally, it is a word that contains the meaning "to examine closely."
Yukichi Fukuzawa, in the fifteenth chapter of "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)," titled "On Doubting Things to Decide Whether to Accept or Reject Them," wrote, "In the world of belief, there is much deception; in the world of doubt, there is much truth." He also states that figures like "Galileo," "Galvani," "Newton," and "Watt" "can all be said to have reached the depths of truth through the path of doubt."
In my teaching at Keio, I have consistently strived to convey to the Keio students the importance of "first trying to doubt." The world around us today, from fake news to stealth marketing, is overflowing with imitations disguised as the real thing. The ability to discern between "true" and "false" is being tested more and more. The first step is to "doubt" whether something is genuine and then to verify its validity from multiple perspectives. "The only path for human progress to reach truth is through the clash of differing opinions in debate. And the source from which such arguments arise lies in a single point of doubt. This is indeed the meaning of 'in the world of doubt, there is much truth'" ("Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)"). I now look back with happiness on the days I have been able to continue my work as a member of the Juku, an institution of learning that is a place for "learning to doubt."