Philippine E-Journals

Gripaldo and Mabaquiao on Filipino Philosophy: A Critical Assessment of Two Attempts to Establish a Filipino Philosophy

Jeremiah Joven B. Joaquin

 

Abstrak:

Some philosophers here in the Philippines devote their time and effort to resolve the issue of whether or not there is Filipino Philosophy. This issue arises for a variety of reasons, one of which is the insistence of some Filipino scholars to establish a uniquely Filipino frame of mind; i.e. an exclusively Filipino flavor of thinking.1 Another of these reasons is the desire to give a firm reaction against the marginalization of Filipino Philosophy caused by the continuous stream of Western and Eastern Philosophies flooding the Philippine academe.2 While still another of these reasons is the creation of a standard for classifying written works, scholarly or otherwise, as works that fall under the concept of Filipino Philosophy.3 Finally, another of these reasons is the motive to set a general approach in doing research in philosophy by a Filipino.4 These reasons, and many others not mentioned here, may explain why it is of great importance to tackle the question whether or not there can be something that can be called “Filipino Philosophy”.