FILIPINO PHILOSOPHY BLOG #2

 

Thomism – To Surpass or not to Surpass? 

(photo from: https://www.thecollector.com/st-thomas-aquinas-philosophy-thomism/)

    Dr. Emerita Quito had a big impact on Filipino Philosophy. In her book “The State of Philosophy in the Philippines” (1983), she investigated the growth and the condition of Philosophy in the country. Dr. Quito found out that, because of the Spanish colonizers time in the Philippines, Thomism is predominantly the superior trend in most of the schools (since others are also venturing to other trends). With this, she contends that for Philosophy to flourish in our country, we should surpass Thomistic Philosophy. This conviction of hers is reflected in her decision of transferring to De La Salle University from University of Santo Tomas. Now, as a seminarian in the Discipleship Stage where studying Philosophy is at the heart of the Intellectual Formation, I think I must not subscribe to her contention.

    The Intellectual Formation in the Discipleship Stage of Catholic seminary formation aims to form the seminarian in his intellectual capacity by means of Philosophy. The Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis (2016) even instructs that Thomistic Philosophy be taught in all seminaries. I believe that it is with the philosophy of the Angelic Doctor that seminarians (and even those who are not) can have a better grasp of the faith which they must share to the world.

    Given that Filipinos are a very religious people, we cannot also deny the fact that faith and religiosity has been imbedded to our being (credits to the colonizers). Maybe the schools which teach Philosophy should not make it an aim to surpass the thoughts of Aquinas in the effort of drawing out and developing our Filipino philosophy. Thomism may be an indispensable tool in our attempts of looking for what is ‘ours’.