FILIPINO PHILOSOPHY BLOG #3

  

GRIPALDO: 

THE NATIONAL CATEGORY

    According to Gripaldo, any philosophical opinion taken by a Filipino falls within the "National" category. His philosophical contributions can already be seen as integral to the Filipino Philosophy because he is a Filipino citizen. The primary concern is not whether the proposed perspective accurately represents the culture or way of life of Filipinos. Although it’s possible that their positions will someday make the lives of particular groups’ more transparent, it’s not a top priority. As a result, this category tends to strengthen each Filipino’s ability to add to the history of a Filipino philosophy. This is so that any interested Filipino can ponder philosophically on the distinctiveness of their own ways of thinking, which they are empowered to do.

            However, as we reflect on the nature of the aforementioned category, we are prompted to dispute and question its primary outcome—the automatic classification of a Filipino philosophical contribution. This appears to run counter to all that philosophy stands for. In this regard, we suggest that there should be some hesitancy before judging citizenship to be a sufficient prerequisite for philosophical thought. Citizenship and philosophizing are illogically unrelated concepts. It's true that the citizen category allows for more Filipino involvement in developing a Filipino philosophy. But discussing whether a position is philosophical or not is not something that belongs in the realm of citizenship. A distinct forum should be used to discuss the subject of what philosophy is and what it means. We can even suggest that the definition of philosophy serve as a conceptual filter for Filipino contributions. The topic of whether or not a contribution is philosophical will be shelved and put at the margins until Filipino philosophers have established what to include and exclude in the term ‘philosophy’