The 74th Installment
What is Globalization?

by Yoshinori Kanno,
Professor, Master Program of Innovation for Design and Engineering

These days, there are dynamic fluctuations in the currencies of all countries internationally, and not only in the balance between the yen and the dollar. While there is a sense that it is far too turbulent, it is nothing short of amazing. As befits a century of dramatic change, not only finance, but the humanities and social sciences in general and the natural sciences are in the midst of upheaval.

The movement of people, the movement of information, and the movement of all logistics: these movements cause differences of pressure and potential in the places where they accumulate. Under the natural philosophy of increased entropy due to chemical potential differences…blockages, and Δμ, all molecules, objects, and people move about toward zero ΔＧ (Gibbs free energy). This is certainly globalization.

I am most worried about the natural sciences. Specifically, all around the world, there are frequent major earthquakes that may occur anywhere, frequent volcanic eruptions, enormous hurricanes and typhoons affected by the development of heterogenous molecular movement due to warming, abnormal changes in solar winds and changes in sun spots. These phenomena are infinite once we start counting them. There is the possibility that the Earth is changing shape!! Under the theory of plate tectonics, as with the phase transition of physical substances, once started, the increased movement of atoms, molecules, and ions continues until each is demarcated and the probability of contact is around the same. Until equilibrium is regained. I do not know how many years this takes. When will the eqilibrium of everything be achieved? Considered in terms of global level forces, the layer of rock and so forth on the surface of the earth that seems to be hard is like a baby. It changes shape just like a fluid.

Returning to globalization now, there is now a lot of publicity that disparities are widening in Japan, but I believe that it is a temporary rising and falling of stocks. This is because under the laws of the natural sciences, all potentials and molecular distribution functions move on a path of homogenization, namely, monetary segregation also moves toward homogenization. Naturally, globalization will take time for the people in the very poorest countries, but they will move in the direction of affluence. What does this mean? The people who have enjoyed luxury so far finally have to live without this excess.

If we think about Japan here in this subroutine circuit, of course, no one doubts that we are a people who have enjoyed luxury. Because we have been eating delicious steaks. Because it is human beings who have eaten the enormous cows that have taken huge water resources into their bodies and eaten the grass grown with the nutrients of the earth. What path should be taken by the Japanese people, who cannot eat poorly?

To conclude, extravagence destroys a nation. It is difficult so long as you think there is nothig wrong with taking subsidies. As with traditional subsidies and agricultural policy, it brings about the phenomenon of “no say” and nothing.