Reflection essay of Hidayat (2015) article about philosophy
The West has influenced the Philippines in so many ways. It is evident in our buildings that they are somehow replicas of western infrastructure. We cannot deny that even our educational system is in the shadow of the west. Although I do not reiterate that the influence we have had from them is not a good one, as an independent country, we must value regional philosophies in addition to western ones for the benefit of our people.
Western and Asian Philosophies
Ferry Hidayat undeniably questioned Western philosophers, for they showed implicit biases in their quest for the love of wisdom. She pointed out that “some western philosophers did adopt a racist standpoint to non-Western philosophical traditions” (2015). Some Western philosophers believed that non-western philosophers cannotcould not form their philosophical thoughts and that westerners were superior to them. Although I’m afraid I must disagree with this notion, I think the claim of being superior to others regarding philosophical views is questionable in global dialogue. I firmly believe that regional philosophies should be given credit for they can serve the majority based on their function in many aspects of life. Mehta (1970) wrote:
Like the Western philosophical tradition, the development
of the Indian tradition has been characterized by an energetic
preoccupation with questions of ultimate reality, of the nature
and criteria of knowledge, of man and the world, and the
basic categories in which to think about them, and with the
elaboration of a refined conceptuality and a sophisticated
an instrument for the conduct of thought and argument.
Western domination
Hidayat also mentioned the western domination of the globe. The west claimed to be the superpower of the world. They have great minds and inventions that most other countries do not possess. The Philippines and America have been good allies for decades. But although we are good allies, the Philippines remain a third-world country. We Filipinos need to be given easy access to enter America to fulfill the American dream. It is always an ordeal to get a visa. No matter how powerful our ally is, as a country, we must rely upon our strength to uplift our economic status so that our citizens do not have to work abroad to make a living.
Do non-western philosophers have erroneous beliefs which make western philosophers dominant? Why is western domination still prevalent in the present times? What makes them believe that they are indeed superior to non-westerners?
Regional philosophies and their importance
Recognizing regional philosophies is vital to achieving high status equal to significant traditions. Bourget and Chalmers reiterated their views on the definition of philosophy and philosophers’ understanding of sociological facts:
Philosophy, as practiced, is a human activity, and philosophers
have a strong interest in the character of this human activity,
past and present. Historians of philosophy are interested in the
dominant philosophical views of various eras and how these views
have changed over time. Contemporary philosophy can be seen as
the leading edge of the history of philosophy and a
proper understanding of today’s philosophical views can
feed into an understanding of historical trends (2014).
Wang Bo [1] stated, “Philosophy education is not only professional education, but life education in general, and education in which “makes a human human.” To make a human human means to make a human a complete person, from speculation to life and from knowledge to practice. Philosophy education based on the tradition of Chinese philosophy is such education, as it makes a human realize that they are themselves “a human” and makes them more “human”; therefore, it is a type of education that prevents a person from succumbing to objectification or reification. This may be why philosophy classes appeal to students” (2013).
Intrinsically, students are seekers of knowledge and reason. Philosophy is not just a plethora of unanswered questions but a source of truth. Attending philosophy classes opens the door for them to gain insightful knowledge. I strongly affirm that I have become more inquisitive by attending philosophy classes. If any humanistic discipline includes philosophy, I believe without hesitation that students at the university level would become inquirers of their intellectual inquiries, and they would develop their own academic culture wherein they do not rely upon books for answers but rather through empirical observations which makes learning much more intriguing and enthralling.
Uniting regional philosophies under one philosophical umbrella is auspicious through collaborative efforts. University students study philosophy in search of knowledge. In his paper entitled “Chinese Philosophy Education at Peking University,” Bo discussed that university students do not take up philosophy classes for academic credits but rather for their desire to gain more knowledge (2013). In this sense, I view philosophy as not a mere subject that any university student takes up to complete a major but in pursuit of reason.
Peking University offers eight sub-disciplines: Marxist philosophy, Western philosophy, logic, ethics, philosophy of science and technology, aesthetics, and religious studies. According to Bo, “The eight disciplines were established in light of pertinent provisions by the Ministry of Education of China and possess an inconsistent logic. Some disciplines are based on regional divisions or historical traditions, such as Chinese philosophy and Western philosophy; some are based on certain methodological traditions, such as Marxist philosophy, and others are organized around certain philosophical issues or knowledge domains, such as ethics, logic, and philosophy of science and technology (2013). With this information at hand, the study of philosophy does not only evolve in the study of western philosophy per se. It is a dichotomy of other major traditions.
Bo further explained, “The formation of such a system of academic majors can be easily understood in light of their origins. The original sub-disciplines of philosophy at Peking University were the three academic concentrations of Chinese, Western and Indian Philosophy. These were based on the three spiritual traditions widely recognized at that time. The sub-discipline of Chinese philosophy originated from the concentrations in the School of Principle and Study of the Chinese Classics that had been offered previously at the Imperial University of Pekin; meanwhile, the concentration in Western philosophy showed an interest in, and attention to the “hometown” of Philosophia, and the concentration in Indian Philosophy reflected Chinese people’s religiously inflected experience of and feelings about India” (2013). Contextually, the formation of academic majors depends on sound educational planning. Critical analysis of sub-disciplines formation is important to what university students must master.
John k. Fairbank stated that “a course of lectures dealing with foreign societies or cultures had the best deal with one culture at a time, to save the student from hopeless confusion and superficiality” (1959). With Mr. Fairbank’s statement, I support the claim of Hidayat that regional philosophers should achieve recognition and support to get high standing in the philosophy world and formulate distinctive academia. Formulating a separate academic study by region requires a collaborative effort among Asian philosophers and scholars. Winichakul pointed out that “ Asian studies are changing in fundamental ways. Its landscape is changing. The epistemic conditions for Asian studies have changed. The fundamental conditions for the Cold War area studies paradigm have gone. We are in post-Cold War conditions. In higher education in this era, one trend that all of us have heard so much about in recent years is the internationalization of academia. Despite budget and financial troubles, the internationalization of academia continues.
Asian studies, including the AAS, is no exception. Another main feature of the post-Cold War era is, as the cliché goes, the “rise of Asia” in the global economy and the new geopolitics, especially the growing significance of China and India. These new conditions certainly hugely impact Asian studies, though in ways that we may not fully realize” (2014). With Asian studies changing fundamentally, regional philosophies might be integral in this. Numerous scholars in different parts of the globe might be interested in studying academia from Asian countries. Some scholars study in western countries to get higher degrees due to a lack of opportunities in their land. Since Asian studies are changing, looking in a foreign land might not be an option anymore. Any Asian scholar who wishes to study and pursue a higher degree might need to enroll in any neighboring country. In this emerging global realm, I believe that the rise of regional philosophies is vital in strong engagement among Asian scholars and Asia itself, thus creating a solid and higher standing in philosophy.
References
Bo, W. (2013). Chinese Philosophy Education at Peking University. Frontiers of Philosophy in China, 8(2), 278–288. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23597401.
Bourget, D., & Chalmers, D. J. (2014). What do philosophers believe? Philosophical Studies: An International Journal for Philosophy in the Analytic Tradition, 170(3), 465–500. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42920613.
Fairbank, J. K. (1959). EAST ASIA IN GENERAL EDUCATION: PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE. The Journal of General Education, 12(2), 100–103. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27795629.
Hidayat, F. (2015). On the struggle for recognition of Southeast Asian and Regional Philosophy. Prajna Vihara 16(2), 35-52.
Mehta, J. L. (1970). Heidegger and the Comparison of Indian and Western Philosophy. Philosophy East and West, 20(3), 303–317. https://doi.org/10.2307/1398312.
Winichakul, T. (2014). Asian Studies across Academies. The Journal of Asian Studies, 73(4), 879–897. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43553457.
[1] The author of “Chinese Philosophy Education at Peking University.” He traveled to the United States and visited the University of Chicago, Cornell University, and Columbia University.
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