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Symposium touched by Professor Sandel's golden words
Professor Sandel pointed out "humility".
I would like to talk about the online symposium "A Symbiotic Future Beyond the Divide with Michael Sandel" that Index Group sponsored in December 2021. I participated in the symposium as a facilitator, and it was such a wonderful symposium that it deserves to be one of the milestones of my life.
In this symposium, Harvard University Professor Michael Sandel was invited as the keynote speaker, and he and the panelists discussed how to deal with the social divisions that are becoming increasingly serious in Europe and the United States. This symposium by "giants of knowledge" follows the one held in 2020, which invited Jacques Attali, a leading French thinker and economist.
In addition to Professor Sandel, panelists Nahoko Ishii (Director, Global Commons Center, University of Tokyo), Kengo Kuma (architect), and Shu Yamaguchi (independent researcher) had rich and thought-provoking discussions.
Among them, I was particularly impressed by the word "humility" and the role that cities play in overcoming divisions.
As he points out in his recent book, "Competence is also Luck," Professor Sandel sees a kind of "conceit," based on meritocracy, behind the divisions in society.
Socially successful people recognize that their success is the result of their own talent and effort, while those who are struggling, such as those who are failing, believe that it is they themselves who caused the situation and are responsible for their own actions. It is natural for there to be winners and losers in a level playing field, and many people may believe that it is an ideal situation for there to be differences based on effort.
But there is no such thing as equal meritocracy in reality, Professor Sandel points out.
The difference between a nurse and a hedge fund manager.
If you look at the students who won the exam wars and were admitted to the Ivy League, there are more people from the top 1% of the income bracket than everyone in the middle or lower. Of course, this is a product of the talent and effort of the individual, but the wealthier the family, the more fulfilling the educational environment for the child, such as having a private tutor. In other words, it is not only the talent and effort of the child, but also the coincidence of being born in a wealthy family.
But as meritocracy has become universal, social winners have forgotten about factors such as chance and luck, and have come to take sole credit for their success. This, Professor Sandel says, has led to humiliation and anger among the losers.
Populist anger against the elite has become a social issue in the West, as exemplified by the birth of President Trump. This is probably due in large part to the fact that workers felt disrespected by the elite.
However, as the Corona disaster revealed, it is not always the case that those in socially necessary jobs are paid more. If you compare the salary of a hedge fund manager with that of a nurse or a teacher, there may be a difference of 500 or 1,000 times. But is there that much difference in their contribution to society, to the common good?
With or without a degree, there are many people who make contributions to society and the community. In order to build a better society, it is essential that such people are properly valued and recognized by society.
To deal with the divide, we need to let go of the conceit that success is something we have earned ourselves, and acknowledge that our success is due not only to our own talents and efforts, but also to something else, such as our families, our communities, the people we meet, and the times in which we live. Professor Sandel stressed the importance of such humility.
Professor Sandell said that MLB player Shohei Ohtani achieved greatness because he was humble about baseball and not flattered by his own talent. I think he's right.
What We Can Do to End the Fragmentation of Society.
The other is about cities and towns as places that encourage dialogue.
Professor Sandel cited the need for opportunities and discussions where people from different social backgrounds can mingle as one of the reasons why division occurs. It is a common life platform that is required to overcome social divisions and disparities and create a place of civic life where we can come together in our daily lives.
It seems that Japan is becoming like this, but in the U.S., the rich and the poor live in different places, go to different places to shop, and go to different schools for their children. However, democracy is a social system in which people who are different from each other discuss, share, and come up with the best solution. How can we create a place for this to happen? He pointed out that this is what is needed for cities and infrastructure in the future.
I am a member of the Aichi Orange Town At a conference on the concept, we are promoting the creation of a community where elderly people with dementia or frailty (a condition in which the body and mind become tired and weak due to aging) can live comfortably at home. The idea is not to gather people with dementia or disabilities and isolate them, but to create a community where people of various ages can live together in harmony. When I heard Professor Sandel's point, I felt that I understood what he meant.
As someone who is involved in urban and community development and infrastructure, Professor Sandel's points are extremely weighty homework. I have always asked myself how I can contribute to society through construction, public and social infrastructure, and facility management. Mr. Atari's comments at the 2020 Symposium and Professor Sandel's comments this time have provided me with a clear path. I feel proud of our mission to play a role in creating a symbiotic society that transcends divisions as well as the global environment.
Personally, I was surprised to hear Professor Sandel mention one of the Index Group's corporate philosophies, "sampo yoshi , which is one of the corporate philosophies of the Index Group. Until now, capitalism had a narrow view of the role of corporations as maximizing shareholder value. But corporations are responsible for society as a whole, and that is healthier, he said. Hearing someone like Professor Sandel refer to "sampo yoshi" made me realize that the United States is also changing.
In 2020, the speakers Mr. Atari and Professor Sandel described the concept of "altruism" and "humility," respectively, and I am keenly aware that this kind of "sampo yoshi" thinking is an essential concept for solving global issues such as inequality and climate change.
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