問題意識

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「あなたの問題意識は何？」

と聞かれたことがありました．8 年くらい前になると思います．博士課程の終盤，就職活動をしていたときでした．卒業後の進路を考えていました．大学か企業かにこだわらず，技術系かそうでないかにもこだわらず，当時住んでいたアメリカか日本かにもこだわらず，幅広く進路を考えていました．そんな中で応募したある企業で面接が進み，その会社の日本の支社長と面談をしたときのことです．自己紹介もなく，冒頭の質問をされました．

不躾な感じに面食らったのが正直なところでした．言葉にすれば「私のことは知っているでしょう．自己紹介のような無駄な時間は使わず本題に入りましょう」といった，その人の意思表示でありスタイルだったのでしょう 1．私は求職者の立場だったので，その一連の流れに抵抗せず，さて何を答えようかと考えました．着席から 5 秒程度経ったと思います．

さて，何と答えましょう．そもそも問題意識の定義ってなんだろうか．私が毎日考えていること，興味があるテーマを問題意識と呼ぶとしたらどうだろう．それならば「マイクロ流路内の多層流に起こる物理現象を深く理解する」というテーマの中で「有機溶媒を PDMS デバイス内で液滴層として使用するときに，長時間安定的に均一サイズの液滴を作るための技術的条件を同定する」というような技術課題になるのか，と思いました．いやでもこれは「問題」なのかも．「問題意識」と「問題」という言葉のお互いの定義を先にすり合わせるべきなのか，そんなことも考えました．「私の問題意識ですか」と言いながら，着席から 10 秒くらい経ちました．

応募していたのは日本では文系就職と言われる会社でした．技術的なことを話しても，その場では盛り上がらないことが予想できたので，技術とは関係ない話をしようと思いました．技術に関係のない話題で，当時私にとっての大事なことに，大学院生の働き方や，働く環境というテーマがありました．マイクロ流路内での多層流の話をするよりも，チームのあり方だとか，人の働き方のような話をした方が，話も広がるだろうと瞬時に思ったのだと思います．それで，そんな毎日モヤモヤと感じていたことを踏まえて，「大学院，特に研究室の在り方や，博士課程の在り方について，現在の状況が健全なのかと考えています．毎日を幸せに送れていない人が多いことが私の問題意識です」というようなことを答えました．着席から 15 秒くらい経ちました．

実はそれからのことはあまり覚えていません．何故かというと，話が全く盛り上がらなかったからです．その社長に文句を言うつもりもありませんし，盛り上がらなかったか理由を細かく分析するつもりもありません．おそらく言えるのは，私の問題意識は，彼が共感できるものではなかったのだということです．

そもそも私が持っていた「技術的ではない問題意識」というのも，比較的込み入った前提の上の話ではあったと思います．アメリカの大学の研究室では，中間管理職に相当する准教授や助教の先生がおらず，PI（Principal Investigator，研究室主宰者）を除いて，研究員がフラットな関係になっていることが多いと思います．フラットということは，研究室のメンバー同士に上下関係がないということです．そういったメンバー同士の関係にはメリットもあるのですが，達成したい目的によっては，組織の形や，指導体系がはっきりしていた方が上手くいくこともあると思っていました．適切な時期に適切な指導を得られたら，自分ももっと結果を出せているのではないか，と思うこともありました．適切な時期に適切なモラルサポートを得られたら，もっと毎日を幸せに送る人が多くなると思っていました．志半ばで大学を去る友人を見ていると，研究大学での研究室の指導の仕方，指導教官との関係のあり方には，もっともっと改善点があるのだと思っていました．こう言った話が伝わるためには（さらに，それが問題として存在することが伝わるだけでなく，問題であると共感されるためには）それ相応の話し方が要されますし，聞く側にもそれ相応の経験が必要なのだと思います．

30 分ほどの面接にすらなっていない面接を終えて，「大学院で幸せな人が増えるといいですね」と，私の最初の言葉を繰り返し，半笑いで言われたように感じて，とても不愉快だったことは覚えています．その会社とご縁はありませんでしたし，強がった言い方をすれば，その社長も私との縁がありませんでした．

最近ふとしたきっかけで，そんな昔話を思い出しました．あの時の不愉快な感じ，その根元にあるのは，自分の持っていた問題意識を他人に値踏みされたように感じたからだとか，私が大事にしている問題が，他人に理解されず，受け入れられなかった悔しさがあったと思います．選考に通らなかったことで，自分の持っていた問題が矮小であると言われたような，そんな悔しさもあったと思います．あえて言葉にすれば，自分の問題意識について，他人がどう思うかにとらわれていたのだと思います．仕事の面接という状況も大きいのですが，自分の問題意識が他人に認められることを望んでいた，という心の持ちようが，若々しいそれだも言えます．

こういうことをいうと「面接では問題意識の内容ではなくて，それをどういう風に伝えるかを見ている」という人がいるでしょう．物分かりの良さそうな大人の考え方だと思います．世の中には人に理解されやすい問題意識があって，人を動かしやすい問題意識があるのは否定しません．では説明しやすいことを選ぶのが良いのか，説明することが問題意識を持つことよりも大事なのか，そもそもそれが本当の自分の問題意識なのか，今一度考えてみたいと思うのです．

スタンフォード大学へ応募する際のエッセーに，What Matters to you and Why? （あなたにとって大事なことは何で，それは何故か？）という設問があると聞きます．問題意識という言葉は使いませんが，私も面接などでは「あなたにとって大事なこと（一番興味を持っていること）は何ですか？」ということを尋ねることが多いです．人が面白いと思っていることを聞くのは面白いです．本当に面白いと思っていることを，面白そうに話す人が私は好きなのです．

余談になります．小学生のとき，世界で一番長い線を描きたいと思ったことがありました．どうしてそういうことがしたいと思ったのかは覚えていないし，いつそんなことを思ったのかも覚えていないけど，そんな気持ちになったことだけは覚えています．落ち着いて考えれば，世界で一番長い線を描いても何かが変わることはないと思うのですが，でも，そんな気持ちになったことだけを覚えています．

自分の問題なり，問題意識を他人に伝えることの難しさというのは，自分にとっての問題が，必ずしも他人にとっての問題ではないことにあるのでしょう．問題を問題として理解するために必要な知識があるし，共感するために必要な経験もあります．それを他人に伝えることが目的になると，自分の問題意識というものが，意識的に，無意識的に歪んでいき，5 割くらいは正しいけど，5 割くらいは何だかわからない形になってしまうのではないでしょうか．

最近は私も面接をすることが増えました．高校生の面接をすると，準備してきているかしていないかで，わかりやすい差が出てきます．全く準備していないのも困ることがありますが，準備がされすぎていて，聞き当たりの良いストーリーが並んで，本当にそれってあなたが思ってることなんでしょうか，と感じてしまうことも少なくありません．

準備をしてくる学生を批判するような意図はないのです．面接者を評価する立場に立った今，私が他者の問題意識に優劣をつけることの危うさも感じています．「優れた問題意識」と言う幻想にとらわれる若い人（だけではないと思う，大人でも同じ）がいるのなら，そんなものはあるのかな，と疑問を持っています．

私が話したグローバル企業の社長にとって，理工系大学院生が研究室で日々を幸せに送れるかどうかは，重大な問題ではなかったのかもしれません．私はその問題を相手に伝えることはできませんでしたが，以前の自分にとって大事なことでした．そして 8 年後，研究室を持つ立場になって，その問題意識はより自分にとってもっと重要なものになりました．

あの時の面接で，自分が最初に思いついたのは技術的なことで，次に思いついたのはチームメンバーの日々の生活についてでした．どちらも今の私にとって大事なことで，責任を持って取り組んでいることです．自分の直感は間違っていなかったと思います．取り繕って自分に 50 % くらいだけ大事なことを，さも興味があるように話す必要なんてなかったし，そうしなくて良かった．むしろ今ならば技術的な話をしても良かったんじゃないか，くらいにすら思います．結局のところ，それがここ 15 年くらいは自分が最も興味を持っていることだからです．

「僕は世界で一番長い線を描きたい，理由はよくわからない」という子を，それがウソでないのなら，私は応援したい．雄弁にわかりやすい理由を積み重ねることが大事なのではなく，それを他人に説明することが大事なのでもない，世界で一番長い線を描くのがその子にとって偽りない問題意識ならば，それを応援したいと思います．そして他人の問題意識を尋ね，それに基づいて何かの評価をすることがある立場にいる者として，私は他人の問題意識に優劣をつけるのではなく，まずそれを受け入れたい．それは難しいことではあると思うのですが，そう思うのです．

Notes:

  1. ドラゴンボールでベジータが「俺はスーパーベジータだ！」と言って，「なんだそれは！」とひるんだ敵に対して，「勝手に想像しろ」と言い放った場面を思い出させます． ↩

155 thoughts on “問題意識”

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