NTT Establishes Kyoto Institute of Philosophy to Form a Society of Diverse Values through a New Philosophy

Tokyo - July 18, 2023 - NTT Corporation (NTT), a leading global technology services and business solutions company, announced the establishment of the Kyoto Institute of Philosophy. The objective is to pursue research on the benefit of a paraconsistent world with diverse values in society, including Western, Japanese and East Asian ideas. NTT will work together with Yasuo Deguchi, Vice Provost, Vice Dean and Professor of Philosophy at Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, and other associates.

The Kyoto Institute of Philosophy, through its research activities in the humanities with a focus on philosophy, will undertake the mission to develop and deploy new philosophic foundations. The goal is to form a society in which various people, things and matters coexist, leading to solutions for the issues of our contemporary world.

1. Objectives

Propose global values that can serve as long-term guidelines for sustainable deployment of technology in a society of diverse values.

2. Activities

"The world faces many social and political problems, such as environmental problems, privacy and security, and increasing divisive nationalism. At the same time, technological innovation is accelerating, and new technologies such as AI are transforming society. If this transformation is to be beneficial to society and if it is to generate an effective social infrastructure, it is necessary to develop a philosophical framework that will guide its development and deployment. Looking ahead to the 2030s when optical technologies and semiconductors based on the IOWN concept will be widely implemented, NTT and Kyoto University intend to conduct joint philosophical research and activities to propose a set of values to guide technology policy. The establishment of the institute is the first step toward this goal, and we look forward to steady progress in our research and activities in the future." According to Akira Shimada, President and CEO of NTT

"Philosophy is the study of the proposal of values. To whom? Of course, people and society above all else. To deliver a voice to people, philosophy must once again face society and engage it. On the other hand, the world of the 21st century desperately needs a more pluralistic and multilayered approach to values. The Kyoto Institute of Philosophy is established as a "place" where these two trajectories meet, a "place" that links philosophy and society, creates new views of humans and the world through dialogue between the two, and disseminates them from Kyoto to today’s global world. It is our mission and dream that the Kyoto Institute of Philosophy can be a "place" where people and researchers from around the world gather to discuss and exchange their ideas, and to create new social values and philosophical trends originating from this culturally iconic city." According to Yasuo Deguchi, Vice Provost, Vice Dean and Professor of Philosophy at Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University

3. Association Profile

Name: Kyoto Institute of Philosophy
Location: Kyoto, Japan
URL: http://www.k-philo.org

4. Association Structure

5. Future Plans

About NTT

NTT contributes to a sustainable society through the power of innovation. We are a leading global technology company providing services to consumers and business as a mobile operator, infrastructure, networks, applications, and consulting provider. Our offerings include digital business consulting, managed application services, workplace and cloud solutions, data center and edge computing, all supported by our deep global industry expertise. We are over $100B in revenue and 330,000 employees, with $3.6B in annual R&D investments. Our operations span across 80+ countries and regions, allowing us to serve clients in over 190 of them. We serve over 75% of Fortune Global 100 companies, thousands of other enterprise and government clients and millions of consumers.