Concordia Marie Lagasca-Hiloma

This study investigated one of the learning materials of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature-Philippines and its effectiveness in promoting positive environmental behaviors among 99 Filipino 5th and 6th graders. The study examined if there was a significant difference in the environmental knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral intentions (BI) of the students after they read and studied the manual. The study also determined the correlation between the participants’ environmental knowledge-attitude, knowledge-norms, and knowledge BI. Lastly, this study measured how features of the manual—its language used, design, and content—influenced its effectiveness. Findings of the study show a significant increase in the students’ knowledge; however, no significant increase was shown for their attitudes, subjective norms, and BI. Results also show a positive yet insignificant correlation for the participants’ knowledge-attitude, knowledge-norms, and knowledge-BI. Additionally, regression analysis shows that none of the features of the manual significantly influenced the students’ knowledge, whereas content was found to be the greatest predictor of attitude, norms, and BI. The design was found to be a significant predictor of attitude and norms, whereas language is found to be a negative coefficient of the participants’ BI. Insights from the dyad interviews support these results.

While emphasizing the connection between dignity and self- respect, Israeli philosopher Avishai Margalit contends that a decent society is one where institutions do not humiliate individuals. The Filipino translation of humiliation as paghiyâ introduces nuances, as its root word hiya also encompasses shame and embarrassment. In distinguishing between shame, embarrassment, and humiliation in Filipino society, this article argues that the closest translation aligning with Margalit’s concept is yurak. However, it also contends that applying the concept of pagkayurak ng pagkatao (desecration of one’s dignity) to Filipino social institutions presents challenges due to cultural values emphasizing respect, equality, and fairness.

Environmental philosophy – broadly conceived as using philosophical tools to develop ideas related to environmental issues – is conducted and practised in highly diverse ways in different contexts and traditions in Asia. ‘Asian environmental philosophy’ can be understood to include Asian traditions of thought as well as grassroots perspectives on environmental issues in Asia. Environmental issues have sensitive political facets tied to who has the legitimacy to decide about how natural resources are used. Because of this, the works, practices, and researchers in Asian environmental philosophy are exposed to being (mis)used by diverse stakeholders and actors to support political ends not related to environmental sustainability. Two processes are at play at the nexus of the construction of identities in relation to conceptualisations of nature: eco-orientalism and ecological nationalisms. This paper analyzes and exemplifies these dynamics through a conceptual framework that distinguishes ideological and socio-technical explanations of environmental degradation. Finally, to minimise the risks of political misuse, five pathways are presented to carefully help curate environmental, philosophical statements: contextualise, quantify uncertainty and ‘uniqueness’, downscale, confront claims with local realities and literature, and collaborate with researchers from other disciplines. Conjointly, these pathways aim at favouring intercultural collaboration while valuing diversity, thus supporting the development and exchanges in environmental philosophy in Asia and beyond.

This article sheds light on the diversity of meanings and connotations that tend to be lost or hidden in translations between different conceptualizations of nature in East and South-East Asia. It reviews the idea of “nature” in Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Tagalog, Cebuano, Lumad, Indonesian, Burmese, Nepali, Khmer, and Mongolian. It shows that the conceptual subtleties in the conceptualization of nature often hide wider and deeper cosmological mismatches. It concludes by suggesting that these diverse voices need to be represented in global reports on sustainability, which can be fostered by the direct involvement of experts from diverse traditions of thought who have access and interpretative knowledge of sources in languages other than English. To take into consideration the diversity of conceptualizations of nature can lead to better decisions about sustainability and improve the acceptability and efficiency of environmental policies in each local context, as well as internationally. Solutions and policies on the ground must be designed based on the local conceptual and cultural frames.