Yes, thank you for the very interesting lecture transcript. The main points can be summarized as follows
- By not preparing a rail and letting associations spread, interesting topics will be generated one after another. This can be compared to walking or hiking.
- Using analogy (analogy), we can draw ideas from different domains. The analogy of time machine gave rise to the idea of a future backup system.
- To collect one’s thoughts, it is important not only to inside the head but also to write them down on sticky notes and talk with others while moving your hands. Sticky notes can also be called a dialogue with your past self.
- The end of the class becomes especially interesting as questions and comments from the audience gradually become more active. How can we get to that state early on?
- The next meeting is scheduled to invite Mr. Tachikawa to talk about marriage counseling services. We will be able to get some suggestions about human emotions and communication.
Overall, I think the lecture highlighted the importance of expansion of ideas, convergence, and dialogue with others in the process of intellectual production. I was also impressed by Dr. Nishio’s unique way of conducting the lecture.
A little more detail.
Noted. In this lecture, the methods of intellectual production were explored in depth with Professor Nishio’s actual experiences and reflections.
First, about derailment. Dr. Nishio views derailment in a positive light. By deviating from the rail (lecture plot) prepared in advance, interesting topics and new ideas can be generated. This was compared to walking or hiking. When hiking, there are many times when you go off the course you started out on and take a “side trip,” but you end up seeing some great scenery. In the same way, you can learn something unexpected by going off the course in a lecture.
Next, let’s talk about analogies. An analogy is an analogy between different things. For example, the phenomenon of “an increase in the price of a product” can be compared to the phenomenon of “a kite flying a kite. [Even if they seem to be unrelated, analogy can provide hints for new ideas. In the lecture, there was an interesting development: from a time machine that can return to the past, an idea for a time machine that can return to the future, in other words, a backup system for the future, was born.
He also emphasized that it is important to move your hands while opening sentence or paragraph and dialoguing with tag when summarizing your thoughts, rather than just completing them in your mind. Sticky notes, in particular, are a good tool for “talking to your past self” and “looking at your thoughts objectively. When writing, Dr. Nishio says that he writes down his ideas on sticky notes, arranging and structuring them.
As for the progression of the lecture, Dr. Nishio often speaks one-sidedly in the beginning, but gradually questions and comments from the audience become more active, and the last 20 minutes or so of the lecture are always particularly interesting. The audience’s minds gradually go into “class mode. Dr. Nishio said that the homework is how to create that excitement from the early stage.
Finally, the next lecture with Mr. Tachikawa as a guest speaker was announced. Mr. Tachikawa runs a marriage counseling agency and thinks deeply about human emotions and communication on a regular basis. Taking the theme of love and marriage as a starting point, which is of interest to everyone, we expect that he will give us many suggestions on human relations and mentality.
The above is a detailed recap of the lecture. The combination of Dr. Nishio’s erudition and flexible thinking, Mr. Tachikawa’s sharp points with a sense of humor, and the participants’ positive attitude made for a very productive two hours. Through such interactive learning opportunities, I felt that the “creation of knowledge,” which is the philosophy of MOT, is gradually moving forward.
This page is auto-translated from /nishio/BMOT第4回AIまとめ using DeepL. If you looks something interesting but the auto-translated English is not good enough to understand it, feel free to let me know at @nishio_en. I’m very happy to spread my thought to non-Japanese readers.