Journal of Integrated Creative Studies is a peer-reviewed, electric journal that publishes original articles, invited articles, reviews and short communications on emergent complex phenomena in various fields such as biology, complex system science, medicine, sociology, economic science, nursing science, ecology, philosophy and so on. The journal is open access. Articles become publicly available shortly after they are accepted. This journal was founded on the basis of the project of “New Integrated Creative Studies (NICS)”.

The project of “New Integrated Creative Studies (NICS)” was started as one of the Kyoto University Research Programs named SPIRITS (Supporting Program for Interaction-based Initiative Team Studies) in December 2013. Since then, we have not only co-organized many different kinds of interdisciplinary workshops with Kyoto Qualia Institute, but also co-developed the interdisciplinary symposium with The Japanese Society of Clinical Ecology in June 2014 and the multidisciplinary symposium with International Society for Education in August 2014. Both symposiums were held at the Kyoto University Clock Tower Centennial Hall.

Science and technology are progressing and expanding so rapidly that even different disciplines in isolation fail to capture the holistic views of their fields. It is true that the physical view, for instance, may be fundamental to all other much more complex disciplines. The goal, however, will not be the reduction of biology, psychology, or sociology to physics, but a profound understanding of fundamental principles of these complex systems.

Indeed, we organized the Kyoto University International Forum on “Towards a New Synthesis of Knowledge” in October 2011 at the Kyoto University Clock Tower Centennial Hall . Some of the plenary talks of this forum appeared in this special number in commemoration of the foundation. It also contained many other original papers, which will be stimulating readers of this issue.

In contrast to the traditional, reductionistic approach, the New Integrated Creative Studies must be the insight into the fundamental interconnectedness within the complex system as well as between complex systems, and that of the complex system with the environment. The New Integrated Creative Studies therefore will be holistic studies, and will need epistemological and even philosophical foundations. Instead of adopting a single approach only, an emphasis of the New Integrated Creative Studies should be placed on the simultaneous use of different complementary viewpoints and methods.

Editors of the Journal of Integrated Creative Studies would welcome quite different kinds of original papers with an emphasis on integrating many different kinds of disciplines, such as biology, medicine, nursing science, cognitive science, psychology, economic science, ecology, complex system science, philosophy and so on. Suggestions from readers would be also welcomed in these fields.

Masatoshi Murase, Editor in Chief
Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University