Ritsuko Akagi
Ritsuko Akagi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 2 March 1923 Etra, Alscia |
| Died | 3 October 2017 (aged 94) |
| Nationality | |
| Occupation |
|
| Known for | First director of the Institute for the Protection of Leisure |
Ritsuko Akagi (Miranian: 律子 赤来; Gylic transcription: Riţyko Akagi; 2 March 1923 – 3 October 2017) was a Gylian mathematician, computer scientist, and public servant. She was the first director of the Institute for the Protection of Leisure, her lengthy tenure leaving an important mark on the institute's mission and the Golden Revolution. Her work in harnessing automation to reduce work has had a great impact on Gylian society and economy.
Early life
Ritsuko was born on 2 March 1923 in Etra. She came from a Miranian Gylian family. Her mother, Ryōko Akagi (Miranian: 諒子 赤来), was a leading mathematician in Alscia and a professor at the Imperial University of Etra. This background influenced Ritsuko's upringing: Ryōko introduced her daughter to mathematics at an early age, sparking her interest in sciences.
Ritsuko always said throughout her life that the historical figure she admired most was Ada Lovelace, and the contemporary figure that most inspired her was Valeria Valente.
While Ritsuko completed her primary and secondary education in Alscia, her formal education was interrupted by Alscia joining the Free Territories. At her mother's insistence, she moved to Kirisaki to attend university, graduating in 1949 with a Ph.D. in mathematics. She then returned to the Free Territories and began teaching at the formerly Imperial, now Free University of Etra. She worked with computers in collaboration with her mother.
Career
When the Institute for the Protection of Leisure was established in 1958, Ryōko Akagi was first approached to be its director. She declined the offer, citing her age, and instead argued the younger Ritsuko was more appropriate for such a demanding role. Ritsuko accepted the offer, becoming the IPL's first director, aged 35.
Ritsuko embraced with enthusiasm the IPL's mission of harnessing technology and automation to reduce the amount of work done in Gylian society. She and her colleagues followed contemporary technological developments — particularly from fellow Common Sphere states — and devised how to use them in a socially beneficial manner.
One particular area of focus was computers and cybernetics, seen as the most promising way to realise decentralised planning, and an area of strong public interest due to the Hermes Programme.
Under Ritsuko's leadership, the IPL became the largest research institute in Gylias, and attained a high profile in public life. It built strong ties with the country's higher education institutions and became a leader in science communication, aggressively disseminating its research and pushing for reduction of working hours through automation, semi-automation, and productivity improving technologies.
Its work played a major role in the development of the Gylian computer industry, and significant increases in Gylian productivity, correlated with reductions in average working time.
As director of the IPL, Ritsuko was known for her concentration on its mission and long working hours. She presented the IPL's work as a patriotic duty and sacrifice, and was fond of saying, "I'm working hard to make sure nobody else has to ever again". She was an enthusiastic participant in the IPL's public events and debates, and made frequent media appearances as a commentator and science communicator.
She encouraged Gylians to imagine a society without work, where all labour could be automated, giving people all the time to cultivate and practice their own interests. She famously said: "There's a poem, a painting, a novel, a play, a song in all of us."
Later life
Ritsuko stepped down as director of the IPL in 1984, believing that the emerging era of home computers required new blood in the leadership. She remained a member of the IPL, taking more of an "elder stateswoman" role at the institute with a reduced workload.
She retired from the IPL entirely in 1987, on her 64th birthday. She remained active in retirement out of a desire to stave off the effects of aging on the mind. She continued to write essays and articles from time to time, took part in IPL events, and often visited her alma mater. In one speech, she humorously observed, "I've seen this great university in all three names — the Imperial, Free, and now Federal University of Etra."
She remained interested in new technology into old age, and prided herself on her ability to use computers. She began going to the gym regularly to keep in shape. In the 2000s, she began making vlogs on NetStream.
She was a strong critic of life extension, blasting its advocates as "brainless narcissists". In a 2004 interview, she stated, "Entertaining the idea of living longer is pointless without first abolishing the aging process. Living to be 100 or more with a body and mind falling apart is simply torture."
Death
Ritsuko died of natural causes on 3 October 2017 in Etra.
Private life
Ritsuko was in a long-term romatic relationship with a fellow computer scientist, and the pair married in 1963. They had no children; she described her IPL career as incompatible with parenthood.
During her time at IPL, she was a regular coffee drinker and a mild smoker, a habit she quit in the 1970s. She joked about only owning one outfit throughout her life; Theophania Argyris once remarked, "I don't think I've ever seen Ritsuko not wearing a lab coat."
She never spoke about her political beliefs, but was generally described by colleagues as a utopian socialist at the very least, mainly from her devotion to the idea of bringing about a society without work.
One of her last public appearances was a cameo in a video by Chiyo and Kei Takenomiya; she became a fan through a family friend whose child was a fan of theirs. By coincidence, Chiyo and Kei were graduates of the Federal University of Etra, adding to the connection.