No Peter, no business

I want to read about other than my field, but recently I can't find enough time to do so. Peter F. Drucker is one of the authors I am interested in but whose books I haven't read. Most Japanese enterpreneurs have been influenced by them. As long as I looked over the information below, he is one of the greatest intellectuals, as people say.

According to Wikipedia (partly editted by outrageous2007):

Peter Ferdinand Drucker (November 19, 1909–November 11, 2005) was an author of management-related literature. George Orwell credits Peter Drucker as one of the only writers to predict the German-Soviet Pact of 1939.[1] Peter Drucker made famous the term knowledge worker and is thought to have unwittingly ushered in the knowledge economy, which effectively challenges Karl Marx's world-view of the political economy.

Several ideas run through most of Drucker's writings:

- A profound skepticism about macroeconomic theory. Drucker contended that economists of all schools fail to explain significant aspects of modern economies.
- A desire to make everything as simple as possible. According to Drucker, corporations tend to produce too many products, hire employees they don't need (when a better solution would be contracting out), and expand into economic sectors that they should stay out of.
- A belief in what he called "the sickness of government." Drucker made ostensibly non-ideological claims that government is unable or unwilling to provide new services that people need or want - though he seemed to believe that this condition is not inherent to democracy. Even successful programs, such as US Social Security, long ago ceased to be interesting to an increasingly alienated citizenry.
- The need for "planned abandonment." Corporations as well as governments have a natural human tendency to cling to "yesterday's successes" rather than seeing when they are no longer useful.
- The lasting contribution of the "father of scientific management", Frederick Winslow Taylor. Although Drucker had little experience with the analysis of blue-collar work (he spent his career analyzing managerial work), he credited Taylor with originating the seminally important idea that work can be broken down, analyzed, and improved.
- The need for community. Early in his career, Drucker predicted the "end of economic man" and advocated the creation of a "plant community" where individuals' social needs could be met. He later admitted that the plant community never materialized, and by the 1980s, suggested that volunteering in the non-profit sector might be the key to community.
- He wrote extensively about Management by objectives
- A company's primary responsibility is to serve its customers, to provide the goods or services which the company exists to produce. Profit is not the primary goal, but rather an essential condition for the company's continued existence. Other responsibilities, e.g., to employees and society, exist to support the company's continued ability to carry out its primary purpose.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Drucker

I wish I could be free...

I often Sit and Wish -- Mother Goose

I often sit and wish that I
Could be a kite up in the sky,
And ride upon the breeze and go
Whichever way I chanced to blow

I tried to explain seriously what I thought below, after watching the movie. But, I felt every word I used going away from what I thought. Since I want to understand this movie more, please tell me what you think about this movie if you have seen it.

下で映画についての感想を書こうと思ったのですが、言葉が空回りしてしまいました。この映画は２つ以上の物語が交錯するというしくみ以外はよく解らなかった。「映画なんて面白ければいーじゃん」のように考えることをやめてしまうところにどこか抵抗があるので、あえて言語化を試みましたが、まだ理解が不十分だったかもしれません。もっとわかったら、もう一度書きます。

Post-modernism and Lady in the Water

I watched Lady in the Water (2006), which some of my friends in the US have talked about more than one time and which I had never seen even after coming back to Tokyo. To tell the truth, I didn't understand this movie well. Here is the storyline:

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452637/

I am sure that this movie is a fairy tale for adults. And it is also somewhat relevant to post-modernism in that the life of characters in the movie are related to a bedtime story. To tell the truth, it is hard to believe that our life is directly affected by a fiction. Even if yes, it is harder to know how it is relevant to our life. But, post-modernism has been dealing with that kind of matter, in my understanding of philosophy. Anyway, this movie was really difficult for me to understand because of two reasons. I have already mentioned one of them. The other is that Japanese people do not understand "to be modern" before thinking about "post-modernism." It is difficult to explain what "modern" means, but you have to be able to interpret what is going on in this world by yourself if you are modern. But, this type of thinking practice is not familiar with the Japanese. As long as we are human, we have to come across lots of situation we have to decide, right? Then, who make decision? Yes, it is you. But, Japanese people tend to avoid making their own decision by themselves. They often want to know what others would do before making decision. You could say that it is because the Japanese are group minded, but I sometimes feel it is really sad.

『レイディー・インザ・ウォーター』という映画を観た。これは、大人の寓話というやつだが、よくわからなかった。たぶん、ポストモダニズムとかと関係していると思う。登場人物の運命が、あるおとぎ話と関係があるという設定なのだから。ただ、日本人には結局、ポストモダニズムとはわからないものだとも思う。モダニズムがわからないんだから。何をモダニズムとするかは難しいが、基本にあるのは、世界を自分なりに解釈しようという試みのことだと思う。このこと自体にピンとこない人のほうがほとんどじゃないかと思う。「自分の頭でものを考える」と云いかえることもできるが、これだと当たり前じゃないかいつもいろいろ考えてるよ、とみんな云うだろう。でも、「私もそろそろ２０代後半になるから」とか「みんな（あるいは、自分の好きな有名人）が云ってるから」とか「雑誌・新聞に書いているから」で物事を決断している人は結構多い。もちろん、欧米人だって、媒体には影響されるが、アイディア（思考、思想）そのものまで影響されるというのではあまりに悲しい。だが、意外とこの状態から抜け出るのは難しい。

Respect yourself and others!

『リバタリアン宣言』という本が出たのを新聞広告で知って書店に見に行った．パラパラとめくっては見たものの，とても買うような内容ではなかった．実は，libertalianismという政治思想自体は気になっていて，Libetaliabism, a primer（デイヴィッド・ボウズ『リバータリアニズム入門』，邦訳が洋泉社から出ている，英文はhttp://www.libertarianism.org/を参照）を読んだこともあった．この本が最も網羅的なはずなのに『リバタリアン宣言』では参考文献にも掲げてなかった．どうせ，学者が偉そうにぐちゃぐちゃと書いた類の本だと思う．さて，リバータリアニズムだが，実にシンプルな原理からなっている．
Each person has the right to live their life in any way the choose as long as they respect the equal rights of others.
「ひとりひとりの個人は他人が自分と同様にもつ権利を侵害しない限り，どんな生き方をする権利を持っている」．高校生ぐらいになったらみんな「他人に迷惑かけているわけじゃないから，何しようと俺（私）の勝手だろ」というのに近い．ただ，as long as以下（これを英文法では従属節とかいう）は日本人にはなかなか難しい．一応，respectという動詞を「侵害しない」と訳してみたが，普通は「尊敬する」と訳す．だが，「他人に同じ権利があるということを尊敬する限りにおいては」のように訳すと日本人には突然解りにくくなる．

さて，話を一旦ずらすが，今日『リバタリアン入門』を立ち読みしたついでに，サッカーの中田英寿についての新刊（『In his Times』とかいうサブタイトルだった）も手に取った．中田英寿こそは世界基準の思想である西欧個人主義を理解し，それにしたがって行動している稀有の日本人である．ぼくが，『日本のリバーテリアン（ぼくは「リバタリアン」という「オバタリアン」という変な死語の間違いのような表記はしない）』という本を書くなら，その一人に含まれる人間だろう．ともかく，中田はこの新刊の中で「日本人はなかなか他人を尊敬出来ない」というようなことを云っていた．さすが，中田である．

Nakata, a retired soccer player, is a Japanese libertarian

もしかすると，「何でだよ．日本人ほど他人に気を使う民族も他にないだろう」と云うかもしれない．しかし，「他人を尊敬する」ということはそういうことじゃないのだ．どんどん回り道になって恐縮だが，assertiveという英単語をご存知だろうか．日本人にはなじみのない言葉かもしれないが，アメリカでは案外よく使われる単語である．手元の『ジーニアス英和辞典（第２版）』には「断定的な，独断的な；自己主張の強い；自分に自身を持った；我の強い」と書いてある．だれも，これらの訳語を見て肯定的なイメージをもたないだろう．しかし，assertiveはそんな意味ではない．「はっきりとした自分の考えを持った」という意味である．もちろん，アメリカでは肯定的な意味で使われる．嘘だと思うなら，最新版の『ジーニアス（第４版）』か『ロングマン英和辞典』（桐原書店）を見てください．ぼくが書いたような意味になっているはずです．ぼくは一度アメリカ人が外国人向けにスピーチの練習をしているクラスを見学させてもらったことがあるのだが，そこで英語を話す上で重要なこととしてBe assertive.をあげていた．そして，その先生の定義では，assertiveであることとは，To respect yourself and others（自分自身と他人の両方を尊敬すること）だと云った．おわかりだろうか．「他人を尊敬する」とは「（受け入れるかどうかはとりあえず別として）相手の言い分・意見を聞く」ということである．「（内心ではいやだが，自分はよく思われたいので）とりあえず同調しておく」ということではない．

さて，ここで大きな問題にわたしたちはぶち当たる．私たちは世界基準の価値であるTo be assertiveという概念を受け入れるべきであろうか．それとも，それは日本人にそぐわないということで拒絶すべきだろうか．ぼく自身はやはり前者である．だから，日本にいる外国人に自分の意見をはっきり云わないのは日本人の美徳である，なんてことは死んでも云いたくない．日本にも守らなければならない文化や価値観があるだろうが，ドラえもんのスネ夫のようないやらしい日本人は消えてくれてなんの問題もないと思う．

Most Japanese people will try to become like Suneo, a disgusting brown-noser.

A book about libertalianism is published. I have been interested in libertalianism, so I went to a book store to check out what the book is like. However, I felt the book useless because it doesn't explain enough the concept of libertalianism for Japanese people.

What is libertarianism? You can put it simply like this:

People have the rights to live their lives in any ways as long as they respect the equal rights of others.

However, "to respect others" is the concept Japanese people aren't familiar with. And sometimes they just think "to respect others" and "to be flattered to others" are the same. Speaking of "to respect others," let me tell you about one story.

I have observed a public speaking class for ESL students in the United States, and the teacher used "Be assertive" as one of the tips you have to keep in your minds when you speak in English. She said "be assertive" means "respect yourself and others." Actually, I knew that "assertive" is one of the words that I often heard in the United States but that I had never learned in Japan. After observing her class, I looked the word "assertive" up in an English-Japanese dictionary "determinative, self-centered, peremptory, opinionated," which are definitely negative. Probably, since Japanese people are not used to expressing their opinions clearly, they took the meaning of "assertive" negatively.

And here is a big question. If you are not Japanese, would you encourage your Japanese friend to be assertive. I'm sure you should. Of course, you have to assimilate yourself into the Japanese culture from time to time. This is not the time, though. Japan needs to be open to the outside world to be admitted internationally. So, the Japanese need to be assertive.

"Freedom lies with responsibility," what does it mean?

Shinji Miyadai, a sociologist, changining his ideas about freedom.
「自己責任」という言葉はさかんに聞く．だけど，どういう意味なのかというと，よくわからない．「自分のことだから，好きにやらせてくれよ」と云ったりすると，親や先生に「自由には責任が伴うんだ」とか云われたりする経験は誰もあるはずだ．中には「私（たち）の望むことを自分の意思でやること，それが自由だ」と訳のわからないことを云う人もいる．じゃあ，その偉そうな大人たち自体が自分の云っていることが解るのだろうか，といまだにいい歳して大人になれない自分は思う．

ところで，「自己責任」を英語で何というのだろうか．ぼくの乏しい英語力ではわからない．ただし，普通の英英辞典にはself responsibilityという言葉は見出し語・複合語（日本語でいう熟語のこと）としては見つからない．ぼくがよく使う欧米の思想辞典にも載っていない．和英辞典にもない．
John Locke and Jeremy Bentham must have contrubuted a lot to the concept of liberty in modern society.

さて，自己責任を果たさない場合，待っている事態というのはいかなるものであろうか．これを考える格好の事件がニューヨークで起こったようだ．ニューヨーク市内でのI-Podや携帯電話の路上使用を禁止する法案が提出された．つまり，街中で歩きながら，携帯を使うと，罰せられる．もちろん，「ふざけんな」とみんな思うだろう．ただ，これが「自己責任」を果たさなかった結果である．この法案が提出された理由は，歩きながら音楽を聴いたり，携帯で話している人間が自己にあったからだ．これが，自己責任を果たさなかった結果である．権力によって自分の自由が制限されてしまうのだ．

quote from
NewsMax.com

Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2007 2:29 p.m. EST
New York City Considers iPod, Blackberry Ban

New Yorkers who blithely cross the street listening to an iPod or talking on a cell phone could soon face a $100 fine.
New York State Sen. Carl Kruger says three pedestrians in his Brooklyn district have been killed since September upon stepping into traffic while distracted by an electronic device. In one case bystanders screamed "watch out" to no avail.
Kruger says he will introduce legislation on Wednesday to ban the use of gadgets such as Blackberry devices and video games while crossing the street.
"Government has an obligation to protect its citizenry," Kruger said in a telephone interview from Albany, the state capital. "This electronic gadgetry is reaching the point where it's becoming not only endemic but it's creating an atmosphere where we have a major public safety crisis at hand."

Tech-consuming New Yorkers trudge to work on sidewalks and subways like an army of drones, appearing to talk to themselves on wireless devices or swaying to seemingly silent tunes.
"I'm not trying to intrude on that," Kruger said. "But what's happening is when they're tuning into their iPod or Blackberry or cell phone or video game, they're walking into speeding buses and moving automobiles. It's becoming a nationwide problem."
© Reuters 2007.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/2/7/143155.shtml?s=us

追記．あとで調べてみたら，self-responsibilityという単語があることがわかった．以下はネットからの引用である．

For over forty years, psychologist Nathaniel Branden has told us about self-esteem and the crucial role it plays in how we experience our lives. Self-esteem is the reputation we have with ourselves — it is what I think of me, not what others think of me — and entails feelings of self-efficacy and self-worth. According to Branden, we strengthen our self-esteem with an unreserved commitment to mental clarity and self-examination, which includes six fundamental practices. He refers to these practices as the "Six Pillars of Self-Esteem," which very briefly are:

1. Living consciously — facing facts, refusing to live life in a fog.
2. Self-acceptance — being willing to experience who we are, even if we don't always like the experience.
3. Self-assertiveness — the ability to stand up for ourselves.
4. Living purposefully — developing self-discipline and working for goals.
5. Integrity — acting according to our deepest beliefs.
6. Self-responsibility — gaining control of our lives by recognizing we are responsible for our choices and actions. [1]

It's this last pillar — self-responsibility — that plays a major role in determining the kind of social system we live in. If we abandon it, we become followers and dependents, turning control of our lives over to others. If we accept it, our biggest need is to be left free so we can create the life we want.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/725624/posts

これについては，日本語訳をつけてみる．

（ここから日本語訳）

４０年以上にわたって，心理学者ナサニエル・ブランデンは私達に自尊心とそれが私達の生活の中で果たす役割について述べてきた．自尊心とは私達が自分自身に対して持つ評判のことである，すなわち他人がではなくて自分が自分についてどう思うかということであるが，結果的にそれは，自分のもつ効果や価値ということを含む．ブランデンによると，私達は，頭の中をすっきりとさせて，自分を試すことを積極的に行うことで，自尊心を強くする．そして，それは６つの基本的な訓練からなる．彼はこの実施を「自尊心のための６つの支柱」と読んでいる，完結に述べると：

１．意識的に生きる――事実を直視し，もやもやとしたなかで生活を送ることをやめる
２．自分を受け入れる──たとえ，いやでも自分が何かということを知ろうとする
３．自己表明――自分自身を表現する能力
４．意図的に生きる──自己鍛錬を行い，目標のために動く
５．正直さ──自分の深い信念によって行動する
６．自己責任──自分自身が自分の選択や行動に責任を持っていることを認識することで自分の生活をコントロールする

この最後の項目である自己責任は，私達の生きる社会システムの種類を決定するにおいて重要な役割を演じる．もし，私達がそれを捨てれば，私達は賛同者，依存者になってしまい，自分たちの生活のコントロールを他人に預けてしまう．逆に，自己責任を受け入れれば，最も必要なことは，自分がのぞむ生活をデザインできるように自由でいることである．

（ここまで日本語訳）

英文の意味はなんとなくわかるのだが，日本語にするのは難しい．ぼくの訳もわれながら拙くて涙がでそうである．ちなみに，文中に登場するナサニエル・ブランデン氏は『源泉』『肩をすくめたアトラス』を書いたアメリカの作家アイン・ランドの弟子だった．彼らが属していた思想は客観主義と呼ばれる．

language as a tool to express yourself

さっきまで，中島義道『続・ウィーン愛憎』（中公新書）という本を読んでいた．日本の哲学者は嫌いだが，中島義道は別格だ．面白かったところ．

（引用開始）

「わが国は，言葉の裏の意味を読む文化であり，対立そのものを避ける文化ですから，対立した場合，言葉を正確に使ってどこまでも議論を積みあげるという訓練ができていません．（中略）」

こう自論を唱えると，おもしろいことに，教室のあちこちから抗議の声が上がる．そんな中で，ある中年婦人がどうしても納得できないという気持ちで質問する．

「ですけれど，日本の車や家電製品はすばらしいではありませんか」

「そういう技術なら，われわれは得意なのです．日本には文学も世界に誇れるものがありますよ．しかし，言葉だけを武器として自分を守り，他人を打ち負かすという態度はこれとは別のものです」

（引用終了）

やっぱり，欧米人にとっては，言葉を正確に使って論理を組み立てることができない人間に，細かい計算を必要とする工業製品が組み立てられることが謎のようだ．ぼくも，同じようなことを説明しようとしたが，失敗したことがある．ぼくも日本人で，英語を正確に使うなんてできないから．でも，今回は英訳を載せる．欧米人の皆さんに呼んでいただければ幸いだ．

I am reading "Love and hate in Viennna" by Yoshimichi Nakajima. Although I don't like most of philosophers in Japan, I like to read Nakajima's work. Here is the part I really liked.

-quote-

"In Japan, there is a culture that people try to read between the lines and avoid conflict. Therefore, once a conflict happens, they find themselves at a loss to create their logic using language..."

When I said this, some people expressed their disagreement. Among them, one middle-aged lady who looked unsatisfied with my explanation asked me this question:

"But, Japanese people can make such great cars and other electricities."
"We are good at those things. Also, in Japan, there is some great literature that people all over the world would appreciate. But, defending yourself and beat others with only language is another story."

-unquote-

I have thought the same way as Nakajima mentioned and tried to explain it to Western people. I couldn't make myself understood at that time, though, because I am also a Japanese who is not used to expressing myself only in English. I hope this time you understood me.