Project
Rita
For the first five years, the Future of Humanity Research Center’s activities will be centered on the concept of rita — the Japanese word for altruism.
Exclusivism and accelerating fragmentation are rampant nowadays. Merit-based ideas force people to compete with each other and abandon the weak. This utilitarian view informs decisions on who to socialize with in order to gain the most benefit. The tendency is that if things are quantifiable, they are either valued or cast aside. How can we envision a better society and more fulfilling life in this savage world in which we find ourselves?
The concept of rita and its central idea of acting for someone or something other than oneself might provide us with a clue. At first glance, it may seem absurd. However, this human tendency could help us completely rethink humanity, society, and technology. To illuminate this aspect of our human nature, which stands apart from meritocracy, utilitarianism, and numerical evaluation, we can lead with an altruistic light in our pursuit of “rita-ism.”
Research areas will range widely from politics, the economy, and religion to AI, the environment, and the universe. Valuing encounters with researchers and experts in various fields, we will avidly extend our reach and open up the field of rita-ism. Our methods involve a flexible approach unique to Tokyo Tech that includes experiments and producing works in addition to methods traditionally employed by the humanities and social sciences such as bibliographic surveys and fieldwork.
The center will disseminate research results in various ways, such as symposiums, books, web articles, and radio. (You can check out some works now from the “Pick up words” link section.) With your help and support, we will plant a variety of seeds in order to achieve the technology that will set humans free in the truest sense and realize a more humane society. Please look forward to the Future of Human Research Center’s Rita Project.
Exclusivism and accelerating fragmentation are rampant nowadays. Merit-based ideas force people to compete with each other and abandon the weak. This utilitarian view informs decisions on who to socialize with in order to gain the most benefit. The tendency is that if things are quantifiable, they are either valued or cast aside. How can we envision a better society and more fulfilling life in this savage world in which we find ourselves?
The concept of rita and its central idea of acting for someone or something other than oneself might provide us with a clue. At first glance, it may seem absurd. However, this human tendency could help us completely rethink humanity, society, and technology. To illuminate this aspect of our human nature, which stands apart from meritocracy, utilitarianism, and numerical evaluation, we can lead with an altruistic light in our pursuit of “rita-ism.”
Research areas will range widely from politics, the economy, and religion to AI, the environment, and the universe. Valuing encounters with researchers and experts in various fields, we will avidly extend our reach and open up the field of rita-ism. Our methods involve a flexible approach unique to Tokyo Tech that includes experiments and producing works in addition to methods traditionally employed by the humanities and social sciences such as bibliographic surveys and fieldwork.
The center will disseminate research results in various ways, such as symposiums, books, web articles, and radio. (You can check out some works now from the “Pick up words” link section.) With your help and support, we will plant a variety of seeds in order to achieve the technology that will set humans free in the truest sense and realize a more humane society. Please look forward to the Future of Human Research Center’s Rita Project.
©️ Naoki Ishikawa
“Rita arising with and from things” Project

This is a new project by all members of the Future Humanity Research Center in 2022.
Each of the six members writes an essay on the theme of "Rita arising with and from things.”
After reading each other's essays, they talk about their essays in a relay dialogues format.
Each time, six essays and one radio are simultaneously published on this website.
We hope you will enjoy reading the essays and then listening to the radio, or listneing to the radio and then reading the essays, as you like.
Each of the six members writes an essay on the theme of "Rita arising with and from things.”
After reading each other's essays, they talk about their essays in a relay dialogues format.
Each time, six essays and one radio are simultaneously published on this website.
We hope you will enjoy reading the essays and then listening to the radio, or listneing to the radio and then reading the essays, as you like.
利他とは何か──利と他の現象学
若松英輔先生による、利他の語源をめぐる連載がスタートしました。
今後、コチラで不定期に更新されていく予定です。
今後、コチラで不定期に更新されていく予定です。
利他学会議
Pick up words
Various conception of “rita” thought by people from different fields.(※Click photographs to jump to related articles.)
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#751つ引くと
何か別のものが入ってくるAsa ItoRita Radio 004 -
#74身体と声を切り離して
受け取ったときに
感じられる声の物質性Kyohhei KitamuraRita Radio 004 -
#73人の演奏を模倣することで
自分との差異を見出し
境界を意識化するKyohhei KitamuraRita Radio 004 -
#72人の論文を直すとき
かつて自分の論文を
直してくれた人の筆跡になるKumiko KiuchiRita Radio 004