#philo 10

Dahil nga ito ay isang blog sa wikang Filipino at Ingles, magppost naman ako ngayon ng nakasulat sa Filipino. 

Nagpapahayag: Hindi ako isang dalubhasa sa wikang Filipino kaya nama'y iyong pagpasensyahan na lamang sa anumang kamalian aking magagawa.

Mayroon akong ilang mga katotohanang ipagtatapat sa inyo bilang aking mga unang mambabasa.

Kasisimula lang ng aking klase sa Pilosopiya kahapon. At kung ikaw ay nakatira sa Pilipinas, malalaman mong ang UP o Unibersidad ng Pilipinas lang ang nagsimula ng klase ngayong linggo dito sa bansa.

Kadalasan, ang paksang ito ay itinuturo sa wikang Ingles. Maligayang-maligaya akong nagpatala sa CRS sa ilalim ng Philo 10. 

Laking gulat ko nalang ng hanapin ko sa website ang lokasyon ng silid-aralan namin dahil nakita kong sa ilalim ng Philo 10 ng seksyon ko ay nakasulat ang mga salitang, in Filipino.

Aaminin kong nalungkot ako ng todo dahil hindi ako sanay mag-aral sa wikang ito at lalong-lalo na ng isang paksang ngayon ko lang narinig pero pinagkakainteresan ko.

Simula ng oras na 'yon hanggang sa oras na nasa AS (Palma Hall) na ako at nakikinig sa propesor namin ay ang tumatakbo pa rin sa isipan ko ay, bakit ako pa ang napunta sa klaseng 'to? Bakit kailangan pa ng propesor kong magturo sa Filipino, nang, ayon sa kanya, ay ngayon lang niya gagawin sa 21 taong pagtuturo ng Pilosopiya? 

Ilang beses pa nadurog ang puso ko pagkatapos: nang marinig ko sa nagkukwentuhang blockmates ang isang nakakatuwang pangyayari sa klase nila sa Philo 10 in English, nang mabasa ko sa isang post ang isang linyang sinabi ng kanyang propesor sa wikang Ingles, at nang makita ko sa skedyul ng isang blockmate ang Philo 1, na sana ay nakuha ko nalang din sa halip na...

Gayunpaman, naniniwala ako na ang lahat ng bagay ay may dahilan. Okay lang 'to, sinasabi ng isip ko sa aking sarili. 

May pamimilian naman sana ko: kaya kong umalis sa klaseng ito pero hindi na maibabalik ang pera na pinaghirapan ng mga magulang ko. 'Wag na lang.

Isang dahilan kung bakit hindi ko talaga napupusuan mag-aral ng Pilospiya sa Filipino ay dahil hindi ko maipahayag ang sarili ko ng mas malinaw sa wikang Filipino.

Bagama't sanay ako sa wikang Filipino magsalita habang nakikipag-usap (o daldalan) sa aking mga kaibigan, kapag nagpapaliwanag ako o nag-iisip ng malalim, kadalasan ay mas naipapahiwatig ko ang aking sarili sa wikang Ingles.

Siguro ay nakahihiya ang kalagayan ng kakayahan ko sa sarili kong wika. Nahiligan ko kasing magbasa ng mga nobela sa wikang Ingles. Marami pa kong dahilan pero hindi ko na papahabain pa ito.

Hind ko, sa anumang paraan, iniinsulto ang wikang Filipino. Sa katunayan nga ay wala akong kasanayan dito kaya naman hindi ko gusto ito bilang MOI ng Philo. Mas gugustohin ko sanang pag-aralan muna ng ang Filipino bilang wika para pagyabungin pa ang kaalaman ko sa pagpapahyag ng sarili bago itong Philo pero wala na kong magagawa.

Ang hiling ko sa pananatili ko sa klaseng Philo 10 in Filipino ay marami akong matutunan, maging masaya ako habang natututo at maging maligaya sa hindi ko pag-alis sa klaseng ito. (Nota: Insentibo na lang siguro ang 1.0. Haha. Palaasa.)

It is in this class that I learned that love and life are so tightly intertwined. And that is just one of the many things that I got from this class. In fact, as this semester started, I had no idea that it would be this adventurous, both mentally and emotionally. I honestly didn’t expect the class to be as memorable as I know now.

  I started off with one friend. I chose to sit by someone who looked approachable and I was mindful of my socio-economic status (I didn’t want to seem like a social climber). It’s funny now looking back, but I have already mastered the art of confidence in my fifth year here in the university. But as we were arranged to a permanent seating arrangement, things just got more interesting.

  I was never interested in philosophy, to begin with. I was stuck in the walls of engineering for so long that I didn’t have time to actually ponder on certain things. This class reopened my mind to pondering again. In engineering, we are taught to think critically and practically. And it’s funny how the same applies to philosophy – thinking critically and practically. I was never a fan of the philosophers and the concepts they embodied, but after this class, I might be mentioning their names a bit more often now. This class also taught me, in one way or another, to involve myself in smart and intellectual discussions. I once opened up the idea one random lunch time with friends and they found it amusing. And we went on anyway.

  But aside from the mental part that I believe I have nurtured in this class, there was also the emotional part. The class took on a new level of friendship during the field trip. We had more memories together, and enjoying each other’s company was natural and organic. Nothing was forced. Everything just flowed. And as the semester neared its end, I could see friendships blooming here and there, people finally talking to each other, and the warmth of the relationship taking on a different level. A friend introduced to me the concept of seasonal friends. I might have to agree with him somehow, that some friends aren’t meant to stay forever. But there are friends that are there for all seasons, and for reasons that need not be enumerated. And I might have found some in this class.

I told myself that in the (hopefully) last semester of my undergraduate life, I will make sure that I will pick the best GEs (General Education courses) or the best professors for my classes. I feel that I’ve wasted my other GEs on boring subjects. It was especially hard for me to pick an SSP (Social Science and Philosophy) GE, since to be honest I like SSP GEs the least. They all focus on memorizing, reading and some subjects I don’t bother pondering about since I think that it is a waste of time.

I can say that choosing Philosophy 10 is both a good choice and a bad choice. I’ll start with the bad points. I hate reading things I don’t really like, but the hardest part for me is thinking or arguing about things that I think we do not necessarily have to argue about. What’s up with that world of forms and those definitions? Who cares about defining what a self and knowledge is? There are so many other things that we can talk about—relevant, real-life and tangible issues that students need to know and talk about.

Knowing that I have to brace myself for those kinds of discussions, I put up an open mind. I actually felt that my mind was too open that I didn’t participate in the discussions as much as I can, or as much as I would have expected. I gained a better understanding of western philosophy. I finally got to know the difference of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. I also got to know where the, “I think therefore I am,” quote came from and why is it so famous. I appreciated Philosophy and its existence as a course or as a way of life.

The best reason why taking this course is a good choice is because it is like taking a journey to get to know yourself better. I get to ask myself how I view certain topics like religion and death. I evaluated what makes me happy. It also gave me a clearer understanding of how I choose my priorities or how I live my life. I got to know how others think about these topics too. Sometimes, my fellow classmates and I get to relate on certain issues and sometimes we don’t. It is refreshing to hear thoughts against my principles and beliefs.

I felt that I needed this course knowing that for the past five years of my life, I was gearing my development towards the rational and technical side of things. Getting to know philosophy is like going back to the basics. How did we evolve to the selves that we are now? How did I change from that curious kid to a young adult in search of a future career? Why do we seek for continuous improvement knowing that in the end we’ll all die?

More than the course itself, it is a nice experience being taught by Sir Caslib. He is not the usual boring teacher in the University. Behind his puns and threats I know that he motivates his students to strive more. He made sure that this is not your ordinary GE and you will take in a lot of learnings and memories. I especially like the fact that he value relationships in the class. The teacher-student interaction made me feel that professors are there to be like mentors and not just a usual one-sided discussion on whatever-the-topic-is-for-today. He also valued the fact that we should build relationships with our fellow classmates. It really helped a lot in surviving the semester.

Of course, nothing beats my interaction with my classmates. The field trip, the charity event and other shenanigans we do inside and outside the classroom made me feel like a first year kid again. We got to do role-plays in the classroom again, eat snacks and worry together if we felt like we didn’t understand the readings.

3. Evaluate your Philosophy 10 experience. 

Everything happens for a reason, and taking up Philosophy 10 under sir Caslib during the summer semester was no exception.

            I had enlisted six units for the summer via the batch run in CRS. These are Eng 30 & PI 100. I really wanted to enlist in ES 12 for summer to lessen class time in my normal semesters so that I could focus on my major subjects more. I had waited in line and participated in draw lots 3 times before accepting that I will not be getting a slot for ES 12 this summer, and so, I tried other GE subjects. STS? No. Math 1? No. I even joined a petition for ChE 126 this summer, just so I would have 6 units, but still no. It was already afternoon, and I was losing heart. I then decided to try my luck at Philo 10 X5, since I hear the professor is good and since I don’t see Sir De Villa’s name in any Philo 11 classes for the 1st semester, I might as well take that Philo GE now, if I can. He let me attend the first day of class (it was a requirement for us, prerog students, after all) and yet, my slot in the class is still a gamble; there is a chance that I still will not get it. Well, I am writing this, so obviously, I got it, eventually (in the 3rd day of unsure existence, to be exact).

            Enough of the registration drama, my battle still has not started.

            There are usually four things I consider when choosing a class. These are, from the most that matters to the least, subject matter, requirements, the professor, and the classmates. Let us delve into each one.

            First off, we have the subject matter. I consider this the most important because my interest in something drives me to do something about it. Philosophy, for me, is a way of thinking and making sense of things around us and truly, it is. The course is an overview of major philosophical traditions. We have discussed what Philosophy is, the comparison of Eastern and Western Philosophy, the meaning of life, and the Philosophy of love and sex. This course was my first Philosophy class and it fares well in being an appreciation course. Heck, “fares well” doesn’t even begin to describe its effectivity; it’s really the best! Throughout the course, I keep getting surprised that the subject still piques my interest. Every time I attend class, I am enlightened. I’m not exaggerating. In this course, you will find out amazing people and their amazing ideas.

            Next, the professor. Our professor for Philosophy 10 is Bernardo N. Caslib, Jr. The way he conducts his lectures is just so effective that you can’t not listen to him. His tone, his choice of words, his expertise in the field, his way of smuggling of unrelated topics, everything! It all blends harmoniously. He knows how to make lectures interesting and can adapt to what tactic to use if current is not that effective (especially when the class becomes not participative). And above all, he garners respect. He establishes the student-teacher distinction but still knows how to interact with us. Oh, and he’s also OC so he’s really like the teacher I wanted to be.

            We now have the requirements. The course requires critical thinking. There are also a lot of readings, so critical thinking can be practiced by using the readings. The readings are not very hard to read as long as you make time for them. There is a difference between reading and skimming, and in this course, reading might take you nowhere, but skimming will only take you backwards. Reading is just the preparation; it is a prerequisite for all the requirements: the recitation, the exam, everything! There are presentations like skits and dances but you won’t be able to make a decent presentation if you don’t even know what’s going on. There’s also a field trip and you won’t be able to enjoy it to its potential if you don’t know anything. And lastly, you will feel ashamed for yourself if you aren’t able to produce an at least decent final paper. It would feel not only shameful to sir and to you, but also to the whole mankind. This course is not a walk in the park but everything is definitely worth all of those sleepless nights and stupefying times (as well as the blood and tears).

            Lastly, the classmates. I think I am taking away something if I just call them classmates. In fact, we are more than classmates. We’re friends who have overcome the challenges of life. Our closeness is surpassed by nothing. And it’s what makes this Philo 10 worth the ride, no matter how I did not expect this. In this class, I have found true friends. Friends that are so clingy that it I feel heart wrenching pains whenever I think of separation. And in a course where we are taught to accept that we are insignificant individuals, I could not imagine what life would be if there is even a single X5 that went missing.

Another sem is about to begin and prudent UP students will be scouring information about the best (and probably petiks) GE's to take this sem. Should they notice the name "Bernard Caslib" jumping out amongst the dizzying rows of GE's to choose from, here's a little something they ought to know about the class--or at least, how I had experienced the class. Allow me to state as early as now, that the Caslib Philo 10 class is DEFINITELY not petiks. So easy-A scavengers, (and I say A is for 'Asshole'. I'm sorry but seriously... why the hell are you in UP again?) steer clear of this demanding, albeit one of the most exciting GE's in the University.