Lecture by Mr. Francis Fukuyama

November 14, 2013

On November 7, a lecture by Mr. Francis Fukuyama was held at the North Building Hall on the Mita Campus. The event was attended by many people, including Keio faculty and students, as well as students and researchers from other universities and members of the general public, and the venue was nearly full.

Following a welcome address by Dean Oishi, Mr. Fukuyama gave a lecture titled "The Beginning and End of History." The starting point of Mr. Fukuyama's argument is the question of how many countries can "get to Denmark"—in other words, under what conditions good governance is achieved. In response, Mr. Fukuyama points to three elements: "the state," "the rule of law," and "a government to which citizens can hold accountable." He further explained how these three conditions have actually developed by tracing the history of various countries around the world. The approximately 50-minute lecture was followed by a Q&A session, during which many questions were raised from the audience. The lively discussion continued even after the lecture ended, with a long line of audience members forming to ask further questions, as well as to request autographs and photos with Mr. Fukuyama.

This lecture is based on "The Origins of Political Order" (the Japanese edition was published in two volumes by Kodansha, with Volume 1 in 2013 and Volume 2 in 2014). For those interested in the details of the lecture, please refer to the book.

Photo by Yasuko Funamoto