PHILOSOPHY

HISTORY OF FILIPINO PHILOSOPHY

IN CULTURE,
CULTURE IN
PHILOSOPHY

FLORENTINO H. HORNEDO
 DR. FLORENTINO H. HORNEDO
October 16, 1938 - December 9, 2015

Born in Savidug, Sabtang, Batanes

Scholar, professor, cultural studies pioneer

and expert in Ivatan culture

Known for his studies on Philippine ethnic

traditions, precolonial and colonial history
and contemporary society

Used to be a full professor of the Ateneo de

Manila University and a professorial lecturer
at the Graduate School of the University of
Santo Tomas
 "Philosophy is the science
PHILOSOPHY of knowledge. But the
IN CULTURE, outcome of philosophical
CULTURE IN
inquiry is determined by
PHILOSOPHY
its starting place."
Belief and Unbelief, Michael Novak
 Culture defines what we
believe or imagine
ourselves to be.
PHILOSOPHY
IN CULTURE, Clifford  Gertz suggests that culture

CULTURE IN consists of the "ensemble of stories we

tell ourselves about ourselves.

PHILOSOPHY This could end in no other way

than  exculturation – the tragedy of
not knowing oneself nor why one is.
Ancient China, India, Greece, Islam,
Liberalism
 The questions which
philosophy confronts at
different times in history
PHILOSOPHY change, and with the
IN CULTURE, change in questions, the
CULTURE IN change in answers.
PHILOSOPHY The technology of human knowing is another
place where modifications of philosophical
perspective come from.

The role of philosophy and the questions it is

assigned to answer have gotten more and more
defined giving up areas of knowing that are now
properly in the province of empirical science.
 1. CULTURE IS A DISTINCTLY RATIONAL MANIFESTATION.
2. RATIONALITY WHICH MATCHES ENDS AND MEANS MAY BE VITAL
OR REFLEXIVE.
3. RATIONALITY MANIFESTS ITSELF IN WAYS OF ORGANIZING AND
TECHNIQUES OF DOING SOMETHING.
4. THE SUM OF ORGANIZATION AND TECHNOLOGY IS CULTURE-AS-
EXPRESSION.
5. THE IMPLIED ORIGIN OF CULTURE-AS-EXPRESSION IS CULTURE-
AS-BEING.
6. CULTURE IS, THEREFORE, BOTH OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE. IT IS
KNOWN  EMPIRICALLY AND INTUITIVELY. IT IS BOTH OBSERVED
Why philosophy is an AND EXPERIENCED.
inescapable and defining 7. PHILOSOPHY IN CULTURE IS THAT REFLEXIVITY THAT SEEKS TO
element of culture CLARIFY TELOS AND TECHNE, AND DETERMINE THEIR

PHILOSOPHY IN AXIOLOGICAL STATUS.

8. AS CLARIFICATORY ENTERPRISE, IT IS ALWAYS EITHER AN
CULTURE ACTUAL OR VIRTUAL CRITIQUE OF REALITY AND THEREFORE OF
CULTURE. IT DECIDES CHANGE.
 1. MAN AS DASEIN IS IN CONTINUAL DIALECTIC RELATION BETWEEN
SELF AND NON-SELF.
2. THE IMAGES OF REALITY IN THE MIND ARE DERIVED FROM THE
DIALECTIC SO THAT THE LANGUAGE BY WHICH EXPERIENCE AND
OBSERVATION IS PROCESSED AND EXPRESSED IS
PARTICULARIZED.
3. THE PARTICULAR FORMS (BOTH AS IDEAS AND AS LANGUAGE) BY
Culture as seen by WHICH CONTENT OF AWARENESS ARE CONCEIVED AND
philosophy; the presence of MANIFESTED ARE PARTICULAR AND LOCALIZED HWERE
cultural products or effects LOCALIZATION IS A FUNCTION OF THE DA IN DASEIN.
in the philosophical 4. PHILOSOPHY, THEREFORE, IS PARTICULARIZABLE.
enterprise 5. THIS PARTICULARIZATION MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO:

CULTURE IN A. SPEAK OF FILIPINO PHILOSOPHY

B. SPEAK OF LOCAL CONTRIBUTION TO PHILOSOPHY, AND
PHILOSOPHY PHILOSOPHICALLY CRITIQUE LOCAL CULTURE.
Philosophizing begins not with
episteme, but with a decision
concerning value – concerning
ourselves. For if we decided we
had no value at all, there would be
no point in going any further.

In this authentic living in

community in the midst of a world
we did not choose but were
thrown into, we will need all the
dynamism of Being and the
consolation of philosophy in
culture and culture in philosophy.
Dr. Florentino H. Hornedo (1938-2015)