Globalization and Enlightenment thought(2)
Last time(Globalization and Enlightenment thought(1) - すべての会社員を支援するブログ), I explained that the contemporary world is the place where the Enlightment thought has been spreading over the world from 18th century. This time, I would like to discuss what the ultimate stage of this phenomenon would be.
The conclusion is that ultimate stage over the world will be almost same as the United State. It might be not perfectly same but it will reach as same. The reason I think as such is because the Enlightment thought has been taken root in the United States
1.The reason why I think the Ultimate world is United States.
Alexis de Tocqueville wrote a book called ”Democracy in America" in the middle of 19th century. This is the book in which the analysis of the democracy is written by Tocqueville who traveled over the United States. If you read this book, you will find that the main characteristic of the people in the United States has not been changed since then.
One of the examples for that is the people in the United States strongly believes the illimitable possibilities of human beings [1]. This might be difficult for Japanese to understand it but in summary, all human has the unlimited possibility to success. Japanese are thought traditionally the fact that all the prosperity is subject to decline but you will find that such thought will be very difficult to be acceptable in the United States if you talked with the persons in the United States.
The point I want to focus on this book is that the people in the United States will learn the analysis method of Rene Descartes without specially being thought of it. [2]
The analysis method of Rene Descartes is explained in the book called "Discourse on the Method". This book is famous for “I think, there for I am" but originally it is written for the explanation of the analysis method of Rene Descartes. In this book, he emphasized that all the problem will be solved by his method! There are four processes [3]. I will explain it with our today's business word.
First, you will never accept it as true if you cannot prove it as such.
⇒This means that by questioning " Is it really so?” you only accept the one you feel it as true. If you say this in our today's business word, it will be Sangen Shugii [The Three Actuals] "The actual place, the actual part, the actual situation." in Toyota. If you don't know what is happening in the actual place, it is often the case where the raised problem will not be solved properly.
Second, to divide the problem in the part as smallest as possible. Third, to solve from the easiest one to more complex one and assign them in thought a certain order.
⇒ I think some of the factors of the second method and the third method are overlapped. What are being said in these method is same as "Pay attention to big picture, start small station" or "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"
Last, in every case to make enumerations so complete, and reviews so general that I might be assured that nothing was omitted
⇒This is MECE in today's business word. MECE stands for "Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive".
Alexis de Tocqueville told us in his book" In 18 the century, this method spread over the range of where Rene Descartes or former analysts did not have the will to analyze."[4].Rene Descartes analyzed only specific fields but the Enlightenment age was the time when the people analyzed the new fields such as religion or politics in 18the century.
Although it might be kind of the Anti-intellectualism, we can confirm that the Enlightment thought has been taken root in the United States. Alexis de Tocqueville mentioned in his book that with respect to the method of Rene Descartes, it is not thought in school but it naturally let the people learn such method[5].( Alexis de Tocqueville thinks that it is because of the democracy but I will discuss the reason why another time).
2.If you want to be promoted, you will need to explain the meaning of the existence
As the fourth method of Rene Descartes is kind of MECE, we can see that today's business world is strongly affected by Enlightment thought. If you want it or not, we are scheduled to learn it.
In other word, the result of hard competition is that we will learn just such thought. Although we cannot conclude whether this is bad thing or not, we can recognize that the contemporary world is as such.
For example, there is a book called" The persons who are promoted don’t care their personnel assessment. [6]”. The author of this book is a HR consultant who has being contacting with wide range of persons. He insists that the persons who are promoted have the answers of whys with thier originality [7]. If you want to be promoted, you will need to face those questions of why in good faith. Although, in Japan, you need to read between the lines which leads to the limit of asking "why", such limit will disappear soon. This example shows us also that Enlightment thought strongly affects the contemporary world.
I think the next discussion will be “how further we will need to explain when we are asked "why?" considering above. I would like to discuss it next time.
References;
[1] Alexis de Tocqueville(translated by Reiji, Matsumoto), America no Democuraci( Dainikan (Jyou),[Democracy in America], P64, Iwanami Bunko, 2014
[2]P18 of[1]
[3]Rene Descartes(translated by Keiko Tanigawa) , Houhou Jyosetsu, [Discourse on the Method], P28, P29, Iwanami Bunko, 2008.
[4]P21 of[1]
[5]P18 of [1]
[6]Yoshihiro, Hirayasu, Shutsuse Suru Hito Wa Jinji Hyouka Wo Kinisinai [The persons who are promoted don't care their personel assesment.], Nikkei Shibunusha, 2014
[7] P113 of [6]
