A Way of Thinking Gained from Academic Study
After receiving a request to write for Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning), I wrote an article about my specialty in March and set it aside. However, the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic gave me cause for reflection, and I decided to discard that draft. As I have recently turned 60, an age that marks the completion of a full sexagenary cycle, I took the opportunity to look back on how my own way of thinking was formed.
Since I was a child, I have been terrible at memorization, but I enjoyed thinking, so arithmetic and mathematics suited me well. Through mathematics, I learned to think logically and to think deeply to derive answers from within myself to solve mathematical problems. Of course, the task of searching for solutions in papers or on the internet is also important, but I always try to think for myself first. What is written in newspapers and on the internet is not always correct. It is not uncommon for articles written about closely related specialties to be inaccurate. It is important to think for yourself and verify information.
When solving a mathematical problem, I become completely absorbed in a world of just the problem and myself. Continuing this kind of work tends to make one's thinking self-centered, and I was that way when I was younger. When I encountered game theory, which mathematically deals with the decision-making of multiple agents, I became keenly aware of the importance of thinking from others' perspectives. Even with correct logical reasoning, the answer is not always unique. It is natural that the answer changes if the premise changes. I believe that what is important in solving real-world problems is the ability to think from multiple perspectives without being dogmatic. This also leads to being considerate of others.
My specialty is mathematical optimization, a field that aims to develop algorithms to solve problems, including real-world ones, by formulating them mathematically. When formulating a problem mathematically, we express the objective function and constraints in mathematical terms. It is necessary to clarify as much as possible what one wants to achieve and under what conditions. Even when not using mathematical methods, if the objectives and constraints are not clear, a solution cannot be constructed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was talk of "suppressing the flow of people," but this is a means, not an end. It is important to clearly recognize the problem.
When I worked with a colleague from the chemistry department, I noticed they recorded every detail, such as when, what, and with whom something was done. I learned that they were applying this important research method, the lab notebook, to other tasks as well. Since then, I have made it a point to take notes as much as possible. There are many other ways of thinking that I have learned from people in other fields.
The Faculty of Science and Technology and the Graduate School of Science and Technology provide an environment where it is easy to interact with people from other fields. I sincerely hope that we can overcome COVID-19 and that opportunities for interaction will return.