Jove Jim Aguas

The Xixiangji, 西厢记 (Romance of the Western Chamber), is an outstanding representative of Chinese classical drama, possesses significant literary and artistic value, and expresses profound Chinese philosophical insights into life, society, human emotions, and relationships. It not only embodies the characteristics of classical culture but also profoundly reflects the complexity of human nature and the sincerity of emotions. It represents a pivotal shift in Chinese literary and philosophical thought. By transforming a Tang Dynasty tale of seduction and abandonment into a celebratory narrative of mutual devotion, the author, Wang Shifu, challenged the rigid Confucian social hierarchy of the Yuan period. This paper explores the artistic and literary value of Xixiangji, focusing on its structural, compositional, and linguistic artistry, which deeply reflects the changes in Yuan Dynasty dramatic thought. It also explores philosophical themes such as the natural forces of nature (Yin and Yang), free will and destiny, the importance of human emotions, especially love, and moral obligations, making it a suitable subject for philosophical reflection. The ultimate purpose is to demonstrate how the Xixiangji is both a literary gem and a philosophical mosaic, weaving together Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist elements, structural aesthetics, and ethical concepts. In the end, what seems to be a conflict is transformed into a state of balance and harmony (He).

Despite the materialistic and secularistic tendencies of the world today, we cannot ignore our relationship with God. Our existence as human beings is defined by our relationship with our fellow men and God. Two values that characterize our relationship with our fellow men and God are fidelity and hope, which were the focus of the philosophy of Gabriel Marcel. In this paper, I discuss Marcel's notions of creative fidelity and hope to show how they serve as the foundation of our relationship with our fellow men and the transcendent and mysterious being. Creative fidelity and hope lead us to the source of our being – the transcendent being – God.

In contemporary philosophy, philosophical anthropology focuses more on the human person and the value of a concrete individual subject. Amid consumerism, materialism, and technological advancement, more philosophers focus on the dignity and value of the human person. By studying the human person, what he is, his concerns, intentions, and relationships with the world, God, and others, we can fully understand his essence as a concrete individual and relational subject. One of those thinkers who focused on the human person as a relational subject is the Jewish religious existentialist philosopher, Martin Buber. This paper highlights Buber’s philosophical anthropology and philosophy of dialogue, based on an existential and relational or intersubjective character of human existence, man’s relation with God as the eternal Thou, the distinction between the two fundamental types of human relations (I–It and I– Thou), and the realm of the “between.” The main focus of this paper thus are Buber’s notions of man as a relational subject and thou, intersubjectivity that is anchored on his notion of dialogue, the distinction between the two types of relations and their primal movements, genuine dialogue, the interhuman and its elements, and also social relations.

This paper is part of my ongoing research on religion, specifically examining the devaluation of religion and its recovery of value in contemporary times. Religion, Christianity in particular, has been subjected to philosophical critique and has often been portrayed as anti-reason, anti-anthropological, and in some cases even regarded as a hindrance to the advancement of human reason. Richard Dawkins, a popular author and professor, contended that religious faith is a delusion - “a fixed false belief.” Dawkins argues that religion is both a source of conflict and a justification for belief without evidence. He considers faith—a belief that is not based on evidence—as “one of the world’s great evils.” However, there were also those who opine that faith, which is the basis of religion, and reason, as manifested in science, need not be against each other. In the 1960s, a systematic study of science and religion began with authors such as Ian Barbour, who, in his books Issues in Science and Religion (1966) and Myths, Models, and Paradigms (1974), focused on the parallels in language between these disciplines. A trained physicist and theologian, he has been at the forefront of the dialogue between scientists and theologians. Barbour presents an ‘interpretation of Christianity that is responsive both to the historical tradition and contemporary science.’ He explores the impact and challenges of science on religious life, inquiring into and answering questions about the compatibility of science and religion, as well as the influence of science on human nature. He also explores the ethical implications of technological and scientific advancements, reflecting on the value of these achievements in relation to issues such as environmental and human costs, and projecting possible future directions of control in terms of human values. He challenged the prevailing view that science and religion were either against each other or indifferent to each other. Now more than ever, there is a need to reflect upon the value of religion and to show that religion is not anti-reason nor against science and that, in fact, religion, Christianity in particular, is the locus of the complementarity of faith and reason, providing a space for critical engagement between these two. While we can also say that other religions provide a space for engagement between reason and faith, it is in Christianity, especially in its rich history, where we can see the critical and yet productive engagements between faith and reason. In this paper, I explore the complementarity of faith and reason in Christianity through a straightforward historical approach, accompanied by discussions on the substantial relationship between faith and reason, based on a reading of Fides et Ratio.

This paper discusses the philosophical concept of John Rawls on distributive justice and how it can be applied as a possible guide in the Philippine ayuda distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, it discusses how the pandemic affected the Philippine economy and the complaints on the ayuda program regarding the ayuda distribution in the country. Second, it explains Rawlsian distributive justice and Rawls’ ideas, such as the veil of ignorance, liberty, and difference principles. Lastly, it discusses Rawls’ notion of distributive justice as a guide in the ayuda distribution to provide a perspective on the equitable and just distribution of benefits given the limited resources. The main point is that the distribution of financial assistance or ayuda can be guided by Rawls’s notion of distributive justice, which prioritizes the well-being of the least well-off or disadvantaged.

Religious diversity has been a subject of many discussions and debates. Many scholars have concluded that although many religions exist, we can maintain a more accommodating and pluralistic attitude to this diversity. However, we may find contradictions when we reduce religious beliefs to their most fundamental tenets. Preferring one over the other may ultimately result in rejecting the contrary beliefs as false or unacceptable. Since religious beliefs have truth claims, they have epistemological importance. However, the challenge of religious diversity is not only on the epistemic level but more so in the social and political domains. This paper discusses the diversity of religions in Asia. It evaluates three views that may explain such diversity: Alvin Plantinga’s exclusivism, Karl Rahner’s inclusivism, and John Hick’s pluralism. Finally, it offers ways to respond to the challenge of religious diversity.

At the center of the various transformations and advancements inmodern society is man. It is man by whom and for whom these transformations and advancements are made. But one negative factoraccompanying these transformations is the violence or the degradation of the human person and his dignity, more alarming is the violence committed by man against his fellow man. Today, there is so much violence in the world, everyday we hear about killings, kidnappings, rapes, abortion, terrorist attacks, hunger, wars and many other acts of violence. It is ironic that, while the human person is the very victim of this violence, it is also the human person who is the perpetrator of such violence, man is simultaneously the victim and the culprit. Man indeed is a paradox, for while he is bestowed with dignity and good nature, he is also capable of doing evil and inflicting harm against others. This violent tendency happens because man fails to acknowledge the very dignity of his nature which is rooted in his fundamental relation with God and extended to his fellow human beings. Man is by nature good, but he is also capable of doing evil things. The Catholic Church through its teachings and writings have always emphasized the value of the person, while at the same time acknowledging the fact that he is as much capable of degrading himself. The Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, “Gaudium et Spes” acknowledges the many divergent and contradicting opinions of man about himself, one of which “exalts man as the absolute measure of all things and debases himself to the point of despair. The result is doubt and anxiety.”

As we face an uncertain future for our country, philosophers – the so-called lovers of wisdom - are tasked to revisit our role in shaping our country's future and molding the consciousness of our people, especially the young. In this paper, I focus on the evolution of philosophy in the Philippines, what we have done as teachers and philosophers in and for the academe, and what else we need to do not only for the future of philosophy in our country but for the future of our country as well. In this last point, I stress that we need to contribute to shaping the critical consciousness of our people as our contribution to nation-building. That must be the future of philosophy in the Philippines and its critical role in the future of our beloved country.

Modern life is convenient, efficient and comfortable— thanks to the advancement in technology in the modern society. But it is also problematic, complicated and sometimes meaningless and it breeds complacency, greed and discord. So the question that confronts us today is: how do we live or conduct ourselves is modern society with all its trappings and yet preserve our sense of dignity and simplicity? How do we live a life that is comfortable and meaningful, efficient and contented, convenient and natural? To get some insights we turn to the past and look for some lessons from two important thinkers and masters from the Western tradition—St. Augustine and the Eastern tradition—Lao Tzu. They are two prominent thinkers who came from different cultures, different religious orientations and times. The society and time they came from may be different from ours but they can still offer us some lessons how to live a simple and meaningful life in a modern society. Lao Tzu tells us that we need to go back to nature, follow the way of the Tao and be guided by the wu-wei. St. Augustine advices us that while we are physical and mortal creatures, we need to rediscover our moral and spiritual nature and live according to our divine image. Indeed the wisdom of the past both from the East and West can definitely guide us and give us valuable lessons.