“Philosophy begins in wonder. And at the end, when philosophic thought has done its best, the wonder remains. There have been added, however, some grasp of the immensity of things, some purification of emotion by understanding.”
– A. N. Whitehead, Modes of Thought
In the first day of my Theology 131 class, I was being asked by my prof “Why do I exist?”
If it’s the “I” before PH101, I would probably be astonished and stunned in front of the question, thinking about the most practical and acceptable answers such as “I exist to graduate in college” and “I exist to be a successful business man”; or the most amusing answer such as “I exist because of you” or “I exist to eat banana split.” Perhaps I would find myself lost in the question, and trying to recall all the concepts that I’ve learned in biology, chemistry, psychology, physics, etc. but still couldn’t answer even a single word.
Out of my wonder, I did have a answer to this question. The “I” after PH101 answered it. “I exist to learn, to experience life, to dwell and solve different kinds of problems. I exist for others and with others.” This is my answer, and I know what I am talking about.
For me, it is the matter of perspective that has changed in me after taking PH101. I start doing my part to be a less individualistic individual. I start to look at the problems in a different way. I try to think in a different setting. Perhaps the most important thing my philosophy has helped me so far is not to take things for granted, to improve our way of thinking, and to accept, to appreciate people and things more for what they are.
I have learned and gained a lot of insights from PH101, and I am expecting to learn more in my PH102 journey.
I also share your sentiments about out PH101 classes with Dr. Garcia and Sir Earl. I also learned a lot about philosophy and especially more about myself. I agree with you that philosophy has taught us to think/see in the light and gain a new perspective towards it. I just hope all of us are able to achieve this and even more this semester.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Philosophy has all showed us a new perspective of looking at things, but i also think that it is not only our perspectives that matter, and that what it means to exist and to be conscious of ourselves is to be conscious that we exist with others and that other people's perspective exist as well. :)
ReplyDeletePhilosophy changed the perspective that directs the flow of my energy in living out my life.
ReplyDeleteI see the world differently now and I can't turn back to the way that I was once heading.
Philosophy affected me the same way as how a Biology class discourages a student from eating food right off of mud or something.
The doors that have been opened cannot be shut and the doors that this effect reveals cannot be unseen.
This class has changed my life and I hope to become a much better person after this class ends.
Woopie for a new semester!
Aside from all the things Philosophy has done to change our lives that were already mentioned before, I find it amazing how everything flows from one idea to another and how we can connect every thing to one another somehow. For example, our current reading, The Socius and the Neighbor, still teaches us that we exist in this world for others and with others. We are beings in Being and we have a responsibility towards each other. It is part of the reason of our existence. Looking forward to more insightful lessons and experiences this upcoming semester! Good luck to us all :)
ReplyDeleteI took Philo 101 ages ago. Well, it was just last year but it feels like a long long time ago. Unfortunately, my experience of my philo 101 class didn't feel as life-changing as yours. I am about to graduate and philo has yet to move me (or are my expectations just too high?). However, from reading your conclusion of "...I exist for others and with others", I realised that I have learned the same thing through my other classes such as Theo 141, Histo 165 and 166. I believe this is the value of an Ateneo education. Some say it's brainwash, but I would like to disagree. Ateneo proposes to us this one way of living, just one perspective out of many. In the end, it is our decision, for now, I think i would like to stick with it. No matter how I go about it, I keep on going back to the importance of being other-centric. It is definitely better than being an "individualistic individual." I definitely look forward to my last semester, I hope my two Philosophy classes will deepen, reinforce, and make dynamic this conclusion of existing for others and with others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you're saying. Ph 101 has made me look at people differently, and not just in a way that revolves around me. Ph 101 made me think of the different situations that other people are in that made them act in a specific way and made me understand them in a new light.
ReplyDelete-Diane Cheng (A)