The online public lecture series Stop and Think: Let Us Rethink Radically was launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver high-quality learning experiences on various contemporary issues in the humanities and social sciences to a broad audience. Now that the pandemic has subsided, we are evolving its role further by hosting a live event where presenters and researchers can think together with the audience in real time.

Even in the midst of our busy daily lives, we value moments when we naturally stop and think. By sharing and discussing the thoughts and feelings that arise in such moments, we aim to help people recognize, appreciate, and enjoy the connection between everyday life and humanistic knowledge.

On February 9th, 2025, we conducted a first of these new events with the theme “Aesthetics and Creativity in Everyday Life”, where we explored the topic from three different specialized perspectives. We were honored to have the following speakers and experts share their perspectives in a series of talks:

Session 1: Koji Hashimoto (Professor, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University) – “Aesthetics and Creativity from a Physicist’s Perspective”

Session 2: Kiwamu Yanagisawa (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University) – “Aesthetics and Creativity Through the Lens of Residential Experiences”

Session 3: Tomoko Sakai (Associate Professor, Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University) – “Aesthetics and Creativity Through the Concept of Impurity”

Opening remarks were provided by Taku Iwasaki (Senior Corporate Officer, Hakuhodo/ Fellow, the Institutional Advancement and Communications office, Kyoto University) and closing remarks were provided by Yasuo Deguchi (Vice Director and Professor, the Institute for the Future of Human Society, Kyoto University). Katsutoshi Tsuboi (Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc.) acted as the moderator for the event.