---

Laboratory of Philosophy of Human Information

Prof. O. Takeuchi
Res. Asso. M. Yanai


The aim of this laboratory is to work toward a philosophical definition of the human being by clarifying his relations to culture, nature, history, symbolism, language, etc. Man is limited by the external conditions. However, he desires at the same time to transcend himself as a limited being. Corresponding to this double aspect of man, philosophy also has a double aspect: "philosophia perennis" and child of the times. This is the reason why people talk about the critical spirit of philosophy.

It is incontestable that "information" is one of the key words in our time. Therefore, it is important to find the answers to the questions: Why is information so characteristic of today's society? What does it mean to the human being as a whole? Does informational knowledge have the potential to change the structure of human knowledge of the past?

In order to answer these questions, we must first clarify human knowledge and the human being himself. As an attempt at this clarification, we offer a subject: Philosophical Inquiry into the Relationship between Man and Nature.