Until now, humankind has all but focused on the seemingly endless possibilities of science. Now I believe it is time to start thinking about the limits on the possibilities of science alone. Consider the field of bioethics, for example, which can only exist at the intersection of the natural sciences, ethics, and philosophy. When successful, these collaborations feel inevitable, and the borders begin to blur. These borders, after all, are of our own creation. This kind of interdisciplinary approach is nothing new. Scholars of the Renaissance era did not build borders between literature and science, and Rabelais himself was a writer, of course, as well as a doctor and a monk. He took care of people spiritually as a monk, cared for their physical condition as a doctor, and sought encyclopedic knowledge as a writer.
Renaissance philosophy conceptualized the body as a microcosm and the soul as a macrocosm, though they were considered to co-exist and be of equal importance. I feel that modern philosophy needs to return to this kind of thinking. We can no longer afford narrow-mindedness, and need broad perspectives and tolerant minds to define who we are and where we stand. I believe that can be achieved by studying in a diverse, multi-disciplinary way.
Students in the Faculty of Letters are required to pay attention to the latest trends in science, just as literary sense is now nothing short of a requirement for science majors. In this sense we can see literature as bridge. It belongs to the humanities, where the spirit of humanism thrives, and it challenges us to consider what it means to be human in the context of the times. As science and technology continue to advance our understanding of the mind, literature will be a bridge that connects that understanding to the heart. That, to me, is the true meaning of literature.