Artworks by Akira Sakurai

DIGITAL HUMANISM: Technological innovation requires social evolution

We are in the era of knowledge and creativity, shaped by digital technologies and digital innovations.

This scene, in the form of a sumo fight, represents the technological challenge we are facing now and in the near future.

Digital humanism describes the complex interaction between technology and people. Digitalization is changing the way we learn, inform ourselves and communicate, how we work, create knowledge and use what we have learned.

These changes are the basis for a variety of hopes and expectations, but also for worries and fears. It is, therefore, necessary to rethink our social values ​​in the course of rapid transformation.

HUMANITY: "Let man be noble, helpful and good".

Sumo stands for Homo sapiens (Latin for "understanding, intelligent" or "wise, clever, smart, reasonable human") and the constant struggle in the evolutionary process of our species.

Humans are living beings who create meaning. Technology is neutral; it is always dependent on the social context in which it is embedded.

With reference to our digital transformation, our values ​​and our moral understanding are the foundation for the development and programming of ethical algorithms. Which shape our lives and form our future.

MORAL: Fit for the future with a clear vision

The role of a Gyōji is to lead sumo fights. He oversees compliance with ceremonial values.

The wooden fan called gumbai (軍配) is used by the Gyoji to signal commandments. In our case, it is about using the heart and mind in the course of social digitalization.

The source of moral knowledge is human reason. It depends primarily on how one deals with oneself. Inner coherence enables moral and democratic action.

Ideally, technical progress takes place while taking democratic and ecological aspects into account.

TECHNOLOGY: Technology as a new faith

Technology refers to all things created by humans to make tasks easier, share information, or solve problems.

ELIZA was one of the first chatbots. It was also an early test case for the Turing test, a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to or indistinguishable from that of a human.

We hope to experience a good and better future through digital technology. It should help us better understand the world around us and interact with other people. Therefore, we should always make sure that we use it responsibly and in appropriate amounts.

The way we allow digital technology into our lives is a reflection of our societal maturity.

ETHIC: The beauty of human interaction

Latona (Greek Leto), goddess of darkness, sits next to the sleeping Apollo and Diana (Artemis), the twin children she had with Jupiter (Zeus). The goddess looks down on the cherub-like infants with calm affection and later becomes the god of light and the sun and the goddess of the moon and the hunt.

In this image, the twins take on the function of the binary code,

the basis of our digital achievements. The binary code also stands philosophically for dualism... the need for opposites to achieve balance.

This balance is also necessary for our society. It is expressed in the form of values ​​and forms important cornerstones of living together and is therefore also important in education.

There are various values ​​that should not be missing, for example respect, fairness, compassion, a sense of responsibility, gratitude, peacefulness and the pursuit of personal maturity.

A successful society is built on maternal values: nurturing, nurturing, caring, peacekeeping, i.e. motherhood in the broadest sense. These values ​​apply to everyone, to mothers and non-mothers, to women and men alike.

In order to be able to interact with other people respectfully, such values ​​are essential, especially in our time.