Renowned Japanese biologist Shinichi Fukuoka appointed as ‘ambassador’ to deepen thought on dynamic equilibrium

On the 20th, biologist Shinichi Fukuoka, professor at Aoyama Gakuin University's Department of Cultural and Creative Studies, was appointed as a "KIP Ambassador." KIP Ambassadors will contribute to public awareness activities through their wide network of contacts in order to spread the ideas of the Kyoto Institute of Philosophy, such as the " Multilayered Society of Values." This is the first commission since the institute was established. Professor Fukuoka continues to explore the question "What is life?" from the perspective of dynamic equilibrium, and has even published a book examining the "Philosophy of Life" of philosopher Nishida Kitaro, founder of the Kyoto School, from a scientist's perspective.

【Biography】Professor Fukuoka Shinichi was born in Tokyo in 1959. He graduated from Kyoto University. After working as a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School and an assistant professor at Kyoto University, he is currently a professor at Aoyama Gakuin University and a visiting professor at Rockefeller University. He is the producer of the theme project "Knowing Life" for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. He is also known as a fan of the works of the Dutch painter Vermeer.

【Works】His many works include the best-selling "Between Living and Non-Living Things" (Kodansha Gendai Shinsho), which has sold over 890,000 copies, "Dynamic Equilibrium" (Kirakusha), which describes the idea that life is something that maintains homeostasis as a whole through repeated synthesis and decomposition, A reflection on Kitaro Nishida's philosophy, "Shinichi Fukuoka, Reading Nishida Philosophy - A Journey of Thought on Life, Dynamic Equilibrium and Absolute Contradictory Self-Identity" (Akashi Shoten), and "Music and Life" (Shueisha), which he co-authored with musician Ryuichi Sakamoto.

【Message from Shinichi Fukuoka】In Kyoto, there is a lineage of life philosophy that began with Kitaro Nishida, who believed in absolute contradiction and self-identity, and was passed down to Kinji Imanishi, Takeshi Umehara, and others. As a descendant of that lineage, I would like to explore with all of you gathered here the theory of dynamic equilibrium, which posits that life counteracts the increase of entropy by concurrently executing out the opposing activities of decomposition and synthesis.