REAPRA and Minerva University's Philosophy: Beyond the 'Ability to Think for Yourself'

In recent years, Minerva University has become one of the universities attracting attention in global higher education.

Its educational model, which involves no campus and learning while traveling through various cities around the world, as well as its focus on thinking for oneself and structurally grasping complex issues rather than memorizing knowledge, has drawn the attention of many educators.

REAPRA has established a connection with Minerva University students through Civic Projects, where they work on real-world issues with companies, government agencies, and startups, and we continue to learn from each other's initiatives through ongoing dialogue.

What is interesting is that the more we talked, the more surprisingly close the questions we were both looking at turned out to be.

Rather than 'what you know,' it's 'how you think'

We asked students and graduates studying at Minerva:

'What is the most important thing you learned at Minerva?'

We asked them.

The answers we received were not about programming or business strategy.

'The ability to think for yourself.'

'The ability to grasp things as a system from multiple perspectives.'

'The ability to structure complex problems and make your own judgments.'

That is what they told us.

Instead of being taught the correct answer, you raise your own questions, understand the world from multiple perspectives, and make decisions for yourself.

The idea is that this ability is the most important thing in the society of the future.

REAPRA also starts from the same question

REAPRA also places importance on grasping complex social issues as a system.

However, we add one more question.

'Can you see yourself as a system?'

Many people can take a bird's-eye view of society.

You can analyze markets.

You can structure organizations.

However, strangely enough,

when it comes to yourself, that ability suddenly weakens.

Emotions.

Assumptions.

Fear.

Past successes.

Past wounds.

These mix together, making it impossible to view only yourself objectively.

I myself was exactly the same.

I could see others and businesses as systems, but I could not see myself.

That is why at REAPRA, we continue to observe not only our businesses but also our own habits and thought patterns.

Understanding the world and understanding oneself are one and the same endeavor.

Social issues are complex.
As long as we use the term 'social issues,' we may not yet understand their structure.

That is precisely why the ability to think multi-dimensionally is necessary.

On the other hand, how you view that complex world changes significantly based on your own values and experiences.

What you react to.

What you feel is important.

What kind of future moves your heart.

In other words,

deepening your perspective on the world and understanding yourself are inseparable.

That is why at REAPRA, we do not consider 'self-understanding' to be mere introspection.

It is an endeavor to understand the filter that is 'you' and to view society more accurately.

What is needed in a complex era is not 'answers,' but the ability to cultivate 'questions.'

With the development of generative AI, access to knowledge is becoming increasingly easy.

That is precisely why what holds value is,

not the person who knows the correct answer,

but the person who can formulate questions.

And, the person who can continue to update those questions.

The 'ability to think for oneself' that Minerva seeks to foster.

The 'ability to continue learning while understanding oneself' that REAPRA seeks to foster.

The approaches are different.

However, I feel that what we see beyond that is very similar.

Faced with a complex world, instead of waiting for someone else's correct answer, one should formulate questions themselves, understand the world, and continue to update oneself.

Isn't the increase of such people the very entrepreneurship needed for the society of the future?

REAPRA intends to continue challenging itself through dialogue with universities and educational institutions, not by teaching 'how to start a business,' but by fostering 'people who can continue to hold questions within a complex society.'

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To those interested in Reapra

Thank you for reading until the end.
At Reapra, we are committed to long-term industrial creation, starting from the self-transformation of the entrepreneur themselves.
If this article has piqued your interest even a little, please feel free to contact us.
Even if you are not thinking about starting a business right now, it is perfectly fine to reach out at the stage of 'I'd like to hear a little more' or 'I want to know about Reapra's philosophy.'

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