PlaTWO magazine

JANUARY 2022PLATWO súnthesis SOC SCI 2 INTEGRATIVE CREATIVE PROJECT

02 Members 05 CRITICAL NEWS 07 HOUSEHOLD PLATONIC VIRTUES 08 ARISTOTLE'S GOLDEN MEAN 09 CHRISTIAN VIEWS 12 machiavelli's advisory board CONTENTS SÚNTHESIS (n) Ancient Greek, \"a putting together, a composition\" 14 SOCIAL CONTRACT PERSPECTIVES 20 EVERYDAY PRODUCTS 22 ADVOCACY POSTERS 25 ECHOES OF LIBERTY AND SACRIFICE 28 MEMES DISCOURSE 31 REFERENCES

MMEEMMBBEERRSS JAN KYLE L. DEL PRADO believes that reality is socially constructed. As an interpretivist, he believes that reality is what you make it to be. Any kind of information must go through social, cultural, economic, and other filters that have an effect on how we process information. This is also the reason why a person’s background is important in critical thinking because all humans are unique. Hence, humans have their own different way of thinking. He also believes that the only constant thing in life is change. Our definition of knowledge and basis of truth may be true now, but it can change in an instant when another source of information that is beyond the nature of science comes to light. History has been the greatest witness of this since years ago; electricity, automation, telecommunication, aviation, and other materials that we conveniently have today were deemed impossible. As Ridley (2015) said, “ideas have sex.” Ideas can give birth to new ideas. Hence, we should always keep an open mind. Furthermore, Kyle believes that Soc Sci 2 is an essential GE that must be taken by every student of the university since it teaches us the importance of philosophical and critical thinking. Soc Sci 2 prepares us to be model citizens when we graduate from the university. MARK VERNON B. GINES Vernon is currently 2nd year standing in the BA Political Science program. He believes that objective reality and socially constructed reality concurrently exist in the world people perceive. Since he subscribes to both positivist and interpretivist principles, he is open to the diverse realities people experience, thereby giving him a vast room for understanding and learning. Although, the challenge would be the accommodation of the multitudes of ideas our expansive worldviews come with. For him, Social Science 2 is the ideal playground to hone his thought processing and cognition of knowledge in making sense of our socio- political world and seeking the meaning of life. ZACHARY L. HIZON Contrary to popular belief, physics majors aren’t all cold facts and boring numbers, and not that many physics majors believe in some objective positivist reality. Zach, being a physics major, is a realist - there may be an objective reality (we can never know), and if there is one we can only approximate with our theories and models. However, he fears that our bubble might prevent us from being able to understand this world and reality. This is why he believes that self-reflection is not enough--we must immerse ourselves with various people and allow our ideas to interact in order to come to an agreement on our views about the world. 02

MMEEMMBBEERRSS GISELLE G. MANUEL Giselle is currently a 3rd year Communication Research student. She aligns herself with the interpretivist paradigm, and believes that social context ultimately shapes our realities. Through Soc Sci 2, she wishes to deepen her critical thinking skills in order to use her learnings in service of the people. She ultimately believes that critical thought is best cultivated when ideas are shared, transformed, and multiplied with others. MA. EZEIL V. MELGAREJO Ice is a 2nd year BA Linguistics student who believes that objective knowledge coexists with a socially constructed reality to ground our thinking and permit necessary reevaluation of truths in consideration with the changing times. Although she firmly believes that what is true and right today might be false and wrong tomorrow, she also acknowledges that there are unchanging truths that no amount of time can change (e.g. history). By studying philosophical thought, Ice believes that we are creating a new generation of enlightened critical thinkers. RICHENE MARGARET C. MENESES Richene is a 1st year Statistics major who acknowledged that people have different perceptions of reality. She asserted that reality is socially constructed due to the collection of people’s subjective viewpoints collated through human interaction. Due to atychiphobia, she found it difficult to question others’ beliefs as she felt that she is most likely to be ostracized if she commits a mistake due to the promotion of conformity by society. Moreover, she valued “Social Science 2” as a subject that can help improve her critical thinking skills and passion for learning to enable her to participate in discourses. She knew that as the subject revolves around philosophical thoughts, which are the governing ideas in modern society, it will help her see and appreciate the world from varied perspectives. 03

02 MMEEMMBBEERRSS MIKAELA J. NUÑEZ is a 5th year student studying atoms and stuff. Literal stuff. As a materials engineering student, she spent the majority of her college life performing laboratory work, reading scientific research articles, and writing technical reports. Even so, she believes that nothing is truly and 100% objective. Everything we know is a social construct, at least for her. After all, scientists are people and people cannot be completely devoid of biases and prejudices. She thinks that studying philosophical thought can spur paradigm shifts, similar to how science operates. STEFFANIE P. SY Steffanie is currently a 4th year BS Civil Engineering student. She is more inclined to the anti-foundationalist view that reality is socially constructed, as what people know of the world and how they think mostly comes from their influences and experiences in society. She also believes that critical and philosophical thinking is a powerful ability since it can introduce new perspectives and completely overturn previously established beliefs. Because of this, one of her fears includes becoming a skeptic due to many conflicting ideas. Steffanie believes that Social Science 2 would help her develop critical thinking skills as well as intellectual and moral integrity. Another motivation in learning Social Science 2 is the thought that every person contributes to innovations through the interaction of ideas. GEO CHRISTOPHER P. TINTE As a 2nd year student from the Political Science program, he has been exposed to a wide array of theories. And his fascination with Constructivism influenced him to view reality through the lens of social constructs and to utilize interpretive epistemology in understanding social and political phenomena. But as a Taurus sun, his tendency to be stubborn hampers his perception on some occasions. Thus, he hopes to change this and improve himself through this GE course. 04

AGF 01 PLA0T2WO SYNTHESIS CRITICAL NEWS A SYNTHESIS OF AGF 01 It is fascinating to think that a few and Twitter, the number of fake news speech and democracy, we can or fake articles surged. argue. Contemporary society shows years ago, our only means of Misinformation spread like wildfire, how volatile people’s emotions can communication was through mail. paving the way for malicious intent be. In our country’s upcoming We have to write to our loved ones and political agenda, even historical elections, we do not need to scroll and send it to a courier then we just revisionism. Today’s society heavily deep on our timelines to see fake, wait for them to receive it. We have relies on social media news malicious, and misleading news come a long way. After the compared to before, where we rely about every candidate. It comes in telephone, we had mobile phones; mostly on tv news to be updated on many forms. Usually, it is just a then the internet. Today, we have the current events. Unfortunately, social picture of the person with a quote absolute ease and convenience of media news can easily be they did not say, edited articles, or just pushing a button on our manipulated, if not fabricated. Unlike just a phrase that is taken out of its smartphones to talk and interact news and information we see on context. It is mind-boggling and, at with anyone we can possibly reach, television, particularly on news the same time, infuriating to think even strangers in far-away countries. channels where qualified reporters that people easily fall for this. However, the internet can be as scary and data gatherers are the only ones However, critical thinking also as wonderful it can be, and some entitled to spread information; requires us to question why people people take advantage of the infinite literally anyone who has access to a think this way. We have to possibilities it can give. social media platform can spread understand that every person information and misinformation. A processes information differently Ever since the boom of social media possible flaw of too much freedom of because of our different background platforms, most especially Facebook Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash 05

AGF 01 PLATWO SYNTHESIS and social, economic, and cultural filters. As Martens et al. (2018) says, “fake news is not a new phenomenon at all; it is as old as the newspaper industry.” They continue: The first occurrence of fake news was reported in the 16th century. It is only recently however that it has surged back onto our radar screens, in the wake of the digital transformation of news from offline to online distribution and the rise of social media as a news distribution channel. It is used by those in power to condition the minds and What we choose to do next with our findings is the most control the way people think, usually on a larger scale; in important part. A person can be presented with general, the public. Nevertheless, as destructive and irrefutable pieces of evidence and information from divisive as fake news can be, it is fairly easy to counter. credible sources yet still choose to believe in fake news The key is to fact-check everything we see on social since it already affects his emotions. The vices: pride and media. By simply asking yourself the question, “Is this ego should be abolished in order to fully utilize critical true?” you’re already on the right path. Everything else and philosophical thinking. True enlightenment can only follows. The next logical step is to verify the source of the be achieved by having an open-mind and a keen sense of information, whether it can be deemed as credible or not. judgement. Photos by Markus Spiske (left) and Thomas Charters (right) on Unsplash 06

HOUSEHOLD PLATONIC VIRTUES A Synthesis of Our Chosen Symbols Plato identified four cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, The objects we chose typically promote temperance, temperance, and justice. In essence, these virtues are like a stove, measuring cup, dumbbell, and refrigerator. necessary for attaining a good and just life, as Plato Any excess use or application of these household elucidated in The Republic. We were tasked to choose objects could pose a problem for us. Other objects household objects to symbolize these Platonic virtues. include a cup of coffee, a water bottle, and a bottle of Each of us gave a personal take on why our chosen vodka, which require moderation and self-control objects represent the cardinal virtues. because drinking too much of these will disrupt our personal harmony during the day. As Plato stated, For the virtue of wisdom, we commonly symbolize it temperance pertains to being the master of oneself in with digital devices like keyboard, laptop, iPad, and balancing the good and the terrible desires within us smartphone. In the current digital age and online (Ebenstein and Ebenstein 2000, chap. 3, 49). Hence, the learning setup, we view these gadgets as our primal household symbols we chose to convey are the objects means of acquiring knowledge that keeps us informed that helped us achieve self-mastery and discipline day of the world outside the four corners of our homes. by day. Other objects we chose include notebooks where we can store and get wisdom from, a candle and a Justice is the last cardinal virtue Plato explained, and he lightbulb which depict wisdom that illuminates our believed that this is the binding force that enables the perception and reasoning of the world. Moreover, all three mentioned virtues to be sustained (Ebenstein the objects we chose give us the opportunity to and Ebenstein 2000, chap. 3, 50). We understand exercise our discernment and cognition of knowledge justice as something that maintains order, and so, we in the hopes of transforming it into practical wisdom by chose household objects that aid us in organizing our rightfully applying knowledge in our daily endeavors. mundane activities and chores. Some of us We rely on these household objects to make us better represented justice with a cabinet, desk organizer, and and wiser individuals amid the coronavirus pandemic. clock. These objects help us get through the day and fulfill our roles for both ourselves and the very In attaining wisdom, one must also possess courage. household we belong in. For us, justice can also mean This Platonic virtue gives us the will to pursue anything getting what we deserve: rewards for our hard work and overcome challenges we encounter in our daily and punishment for those who have committed harm lives. One of us represented courage with a television to others. As one of us stated, justice, like the lamplight, as it reveals the cruel realities that the Filipino people “should be able to bring to light what is right and true are facing, and it takes a lot of mental strength and without casting secrets in the shadows.” Ultimately, endurance to persevere during these difficult times. justice yields harmony that ensures the continuance of Plato stated that, like wisdom, courage also needs the first three Platonic virtues (Ebenstein and Ebenstein discernment (Ebenstein and Ebenstein 2000, chap. 3, 2000, chap. 3, 50). 48). Most of us have chosen objects that can make us more conscious of the truth, like writing the truth with Plato’s cardinal virtues are believed to be essential a pen and a journal or clearly seeing our surroundings principles in pursuing a good life and establishing a just with eyeglasses. These simple tasks signify our willful society. On a personal level, we can achieve an orderly search for meaning even if we are just inside our life inside our homes by considering our reason, spirit, households. Other objects include a desk and an alarm appetite, and justice. These values are often exercised which help us to courageously start our day. Courage is and invoked by our chosen symbols. This activity of our drive to do things without being overpowered by finding symbolism and parallelism between the our fears. The third virtue is temperance which we Platonic virtues and household objects helped us to comprehend as being synonymous with control, seek meaning in our everyday endeavors. balance, or moderation. 07

ACHIEVEMENT OF VIRTUES THROUGH ARISTOTLE'S GOLDEN MEAN Aristotle defined virtue as the are integrity, determination, By identifying the virtues tendency to conduct correctly and a diligence, ambition, patience, and we want to possess, they middle ground between the vices of fortitude. As we examine these insufficiency and excess. Rather virtues, we know the worth of bring us closer to than logic and teaching, it is mostly accomplishing one’s goals despite achieving our telos as developed through habit and adversity. Last is humanity. One humans, which Aristotle practice. In this group, we have a member liked to emulate empathy described as the innate certain set of virtues we want to as her virtue in life. Through purpose of each being. manifest and emulate in our lives. empathy, we can understand Based on our answers, we have people better as we put ourselves in doing. It implied that there is no wisdom, courage, and humanity as their shoes. Through this virtue, it the cores of our virtues. The first is showed humanity wherein it objective standard for the golden wisdom. One member wanted prioritizes fostering meaningful open-mindedness as he relationships with others. mean. It requires us to weigh our acknowledged that there are diverse realities and values of people that As we include situations where actions for every scenario. Since no can help broaden his knowledge these virtues will lead to and perspective in life. For courage, insufficiency and excess in our scenarios are alike, we must make most members have virtues that are answers, it shows that we are aware in line with this core. Those virtues of the implications of what we are an effort to determine our response or approach through reasoning. Furthermore, despite the differences in the virtues our group wants to manifest in life, we still share something in common. It has something to do with who we are now and who we hope to be in the future so that we can live our best lives. Hence, these virtues reflect how we all have varied perspectives and approaches to life itself. By identifying the virtues we want to possess, they bring us closer to achieving our telos as humans, which Aristotle described as the innate purpose of each being. These virtues help us to achieve eudaimonia, the greatest human good. It is the human good worth pursuing for its own sake rather than for the sake of anything else. 08

Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe christian views BY MIKAELA NUNEZ 09

Painting by Antonio Rodriguez ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO SUMMARY OF VIEW OF VIEW OF VIEW ON VIEW ON KEY CONTEXT HUMAN THE STATE SALVATION JUSTICE NATURE AND CHURCH St. Augustine of Humans, in St. St. Augustine believed St. Augustine True justice is Hippo’s philosophies Augustine’s point of that the “good” people believes in divine grounded on the are platonic in view, are born sinful, are the minority and so predestination— love of god, but it nature. carrying the sins it is the state’s that humans are cannot exist among inherited from Adam responsibility to predestined to men. and Eve which is maintain peace and either salvation or referred to as the order through instilling damnation. “original sin”. St. a fear of punishment. Nothing done on Augustine divided Fear of punishment is earth, such as humankind into two used to restrain the Christian faith, societies—City of God “bad” in people. St. good and virtuous (driven by love, Augustine advocated deeds, can caritas) and the for monarchy as the guarantee Earthly City (driven by appropriate form of salvation. earthly desires, lust or government over the libido for power and people. To St. material possessions). Augustine, the states Humans are slaves to are part of God’s divine urges, ego, and pride. plan for mankind. 10

Photo by Nashville Commons ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SUMMARY OF VIEW OF VIEW OF VIEW ON VIEW ON KEY CONTEXT HUMAN THE STATE SALVATION JUSTICE NATURE AND CHURCH St. Thomas of Man is by nature The purpose of the It is through In Summa Theologica, St. Aquinas’ views a political animal. state is to guide the mercy and the Thomas defines justice as were heavily Humas tend to people towards being omnipotence “a habit whereby man influenced by live in societies virtuous. The best of God that renders to each one his Aristotelian that aim to form of government salvation can due by a constant and thought. pursue the is monarchy with an be achieved, perpetual will.” He divides common good. St. elected Christian king but in order to justice into two: Thomas believes and a group of do attain distributive and that each of us advisers to keep the salvation, one commutative justice; the has a god-given king in check. must grace of former concerning moral compass God and matters of division of that can guide exercise it (i.e., collective goods and humankind to good deeds or responsibilities of the virtue in works of love). community to the accordance with individual while the latter the natural law. concerns all dealings between two persons. Another distinction that St. Thomas presented is legal justice (concerned with community welfares and ensured through the enactment of laws) and particular justice which governs interactions and relations between individuals. 11

Photo by Toto Lozano MACHIAVELLI'S ADVISORY BOARD BY GEO TINTE 12

Two years into the pandemic, the \"But above all, his plan of Philippines still has not fully recovered action to the public must from the impact of the global pandemic. be clearly explained and To this day, families continue to grieve made accessible to the the loss of their loved ones and public.\" individuals are left with no choice but to embrace the lockdowns. However, there Indeed, he can earn the people’s trust by is a way out of this, and that is through prioritizing healthcare through rapid having a competent leader who is contract tracing, free healthcare aligned to the key principles of Niccolò services, and enough financial support Machiavelli. for frontliners and hospitals. And with the help of DOH and DOST, all of those But according to him, such leaders would entail that health experts are must be surrounded by competent heard and that governance will be based people, particularly advisers who are on science. capable of serving them and proposing ideas. Lastly, the religion of liberty is manifested when the President In The Prince, he asserts that virtu is recognizes the people’s civil liberties and important for leaders as it mainly the responsibility attached to those. This establishes a decisive leadership—which means that “a wide range of citizens is needed during these unprecedented must be free to criticize the state, defend times. As such, the President’s COVID various goods, and present alternative response must be quick and effective to policies” (Levine 2021, 156). Therefore, it not worsen the situation, which is why— is strongly advised that the President through the help of DFA and DBM—we should be one with the DOJ and advise him to swiftly impose travel bans Supreme Court in ensuring that rights and allocate budget for medical needs are never violated and justice remains to and financial aid. But above all, his plan be upheld even in a pandemic. of action to the public must be clearly explained and made accessible to the In light of those, the Machiavellian public. philosophy can be instrumental in propelling the President to espouse The republican pursuit of promoting efficient governance—one that is the common good is also highly people-centered, science-based, and recommended to be embedded in the rights-oriented. President’s leadership to compel him to make decisions that can benefit all communities and not preserve his personal interests. 13

LEADERSHIP HOBBE'S SOCIAL CONTRACT STATE OF PERSPECTIVE OF CONCEPT OF LIMITS OF CONTEMPORARY NATURE THE SOCIAL POLITICAL POLITICAL APPLICATIONS CONTRACT LEADERSHIP POWER In the Hobbesian state of Hobbes views the Hobbes does not Although it may After Typhoon Odette nature, there is no purpose of the believe in division of seem that there hit the Philippines, we common power or state social contract as powers or mixed are no limitations can see what Hobbes authority to govern man. the creation of the government as he to the political meant when he said Thus, people are free and Leviathan, or an believes that these power of the that without a equal as every man to do absolute are threats to the Leviathan, it must common power what they want to do and sovereign. The fear omnipotence of the be remembered governing men, they to pursue or attain of war, conflict, state (Ebenstein and that “The social are at war wherein whatever they want and a violent Ebenstein 2000, contract of every man is against (Ebenstein and Ebenstein death because of chap. 17, 358). He Hobbes is made every man (Ebenstein 2000, chap. 17, 364). the nature of man perceives the between subjects and Ebenstein 2000, Nevertheless, the state of would prompt the Leviathan as the and subjects, not chap. 17, 365). With nature is not peaceful, and people to transfer absolute power of between subjects the limited supply due it can even be considered their rights to the the state must hold and sovereign.” to the limitations in as a state of war where Leviathan for power in all (Ebenstein and production and “every man is against every protection. Except branches of the Ebenstein 2000, workforce after the man” (Ebenstein and in instances that government. chap. 17, 358). typhoon, the growing Ebenstein 2000, chap. 17, will endanger Without the demands of everyday 365). This anarchic state of one’s life, people consent of the necessities caused nature has also rendered are expected to subjects, the some business justice devoid of meaning. submit to an absolute political owners to take Hobbes believed that “the absolute sovereign power of the advantage of the notions of right and wrong, with one sovereign can not calamity by hiking justice and injustice, have government, one be possibly prices of food, water, there no place” in the state judge, one attained. charging stations, and of nature. He argued that commonwealth, etc. They took the lack of a common and one ruler in advantage of people power means no laws, and order to ensure to serve and gain for the absence of laws lasting peace and themselves. signifies neither justice nor social order Thankfully, through injustice (Ebenstein and (Ebenstein and the intervention of the Ebenstein 2000, chap. 17, Ebenstein 2000, LGUs, prices had been 366). According to Hobbes, chap. 17, 357-358). slowly regulated. This the state of nature can be gives truth to why the quelled when men as government is the rational beings will agree to lesser evil man has to a social contract where endure in exchange they submit themselves to for peace and order a monarchic rule that will among men. ensure their self- preservation in exchange of 14 some of their freedoms and rights (Ebenstein and Ebenstein 2000, chap. 17, 367).

LEADERSHIP STATE OF PERSPECTIVE OF CONCEPT OF LIMITS OF CONTEMPORARY NATURE THE SOCIAL POLITICAL POLITICAL APPLICATIONS CONTRACT LEADERSHIP POWER \"Life in the state \"Therefore “Sovereign power “This contractual “Government is of nature is notwithstanding is foundation of necessary, not because solitary, poor, the laws of nature ‘incommunicable government is man is naturally bad, nasty, brutish (which everyone and inseparable.’” anathema to but because man by and short.\" has then kept, (Ebenstein and modern nature is more (Ebenstein and when he has the Ebenstein 2000, totalitarians who individualistic than Ebenstein 2000, will to keep them, chap. 17, 358) attacked the social.\" chap. 17, 357) when he can do it contractual theory safely), if there be For Hobbes, of the state because Hobbes maintains his When it comes to no power erected, absolute contract implies cynical view about the survival, Hobbes or not great enough sovereignty resides mutuality of some nature of man. In believes that all for our security, in the state, sort, and, still more contemporary society, humans are every man will, and whereby the important because during the covid-19 equal. Nobody is may, lawfully rely Leviathan holds the there can be no pandemic, we saw the strong enough to on his own strength power to enforce contract without selfish and individualistic be unaffected by and art for caution laws (executive), consent.” (Ebenstein nature of man in certain an attack. This against all other make laws and Ebenstein 2000, circumstances. The idea equal power to men.” (Ebensten (legislative), and Chap 17, 361). of saving oneself kill one other lead and Ebenstein, interpret laws overcomes the idea of to distrust in the 2000, chap. 17, 368) (judicial). It insofar Hobbes claims that saving other people. For natural world. has power over civil, the sovereign (the example, during the Since there is no This quote highlights military, and ruler) cannot break height of the pandemic, stronger power to why Hobbes believed ecclesiastical the social contract there was an prevent someone that it is necessary matters. He because he is not a overwhelming demand from assaulting for a society to believed that by party to it, but rather on basic necessities and you, all of your create a Leviathan having no divisions its creation. It would goods such as food, goods, as well as from an established of power—and seem that the limits water, and even toilet your life, might be Social Contract. therefore an to the political power paper, which led to a seized at any Whether we agree authoritarian of the sovereign are shortage of supplies. time. As a result, with the concept of government— non-existent. People were so focused the natural world an authoritarian rulership would be However, there is still on saving themselves has devolved into ruler or not, we can more consistent one crucial concept that they forgot that a state of war. see that the and civil war would that must be other people may need it Even if you don't presence of a be avoided. remembered: too. The act of hoarding want to, you must powerful regulatory Moreover, that consent. The subjects in this scenario is an always be mechanism (by way authority can never consented to the example of man’s prepared to fight of law or leader) be defied by the creation of the individualistic and self- because the only does set order in a people in the sovereign. Without serving nature. Hence, way to assure society. commonwealth their consent, all Hobbes believes that in your protection is because they have political power would order to keep chaos from to go after others given their consent not be transferred to arising, there must be a before they go in order to be the sovereign. governing body that has after you. protected. control over the actions of society. 15

LEADERSHIP LOCKE'S SOCIAL CONTRACT STATE OF PERSPECTIVE OF CONCEPT OF LIMITS OF CONTEMPORARY NATURE THE SOCIAL POLITICAL POLITICAL APPLICATIONS CONTRACT LEADERSHIP POWER According to John Locke, the Locke views the To Locke, rather To the One key lesson state of nature was not a social contract as than by contract, legislature, it is from Locke’s social state of war as Hobbes the reversible the government is clear that the contract that the imagined it to be. Rather, consent people established by a limitations of Philippines can Locke believed that the state willingly give to the fiduciary trust having political benefit from is the of nature is a pre- government for wherein the power is the dissolution of the government state where the purpose of people is both the interest of the government due to people are ruled only by the preserving trustor and the people which disrespect of laws of nature of moral and property and beneficiary, and overpowers the property and ethical integrity which enable representing the the legislature as will of the trustee human dignity. The them to be endowed with interests of the the trustee. Unlike and becomes the Duterte self-preservation, absolute people. The Hobbes, Locke definition of the administration had freedom, and property government believes in the trust. The stepped on the (Ebenstein and Ebenstein consists of elected separated supreme power lives of millions of 2000, chap. 18, 389). It would representatives, government of the of the legislature Filipinos and seem that this state does not and its power is legislative, is not absolute blatantly breached need a social contract to divided into the executive, and and is only consent in establish a commonwealth legislative, federative. relative to other honoring human as people can experience a executive, and Although the organs of the rights. It is in times free, happy, and blissful life. diplomatic legislature holds government like this when the However, Locke clarified that branches in order the supreme (Ebenstein and trustee no longer this may not be a state of to provide a power in which all Ebenstein 2000, serves the interest war but the Lockean state is system of checks powers, chap. 18, 384). of the people but of a “state of inconveniences.” and balances and particularly the oneself that the He cited that property is the prevent corruption executive, are dissolution of the predominant issue in this and abuse of subordinate, it government can be state because of the unequal power (Ebenstein remains relatively beneficial. distribution of property and Ebenstein supreme in a among the individuals which 2000, chap. 18, government will inevitably lead to discord. 384). where the people Moreover, the absolute can take back the freedom people enjoy allows power they have them to do anything they given to the wish to fulfill their needs and trustee to better wants. Their pursuit of serve their happiness and personal interest i.e. interests will likely breach security and other people’s rights when safety. (Ebenstein they are not guided by a and Ebenstein supreme authority 2000, chap. 18, (Ebenstein and Ebenstein 384). 2000, chap. 18, 390). 16

LEADERSHIP STATE OF PERSPECTIVE OF CONCEPT OF LIMITS OF CONTEMPORARY NATURE POLITICAL APPLICATIONS THE SOCIAL POLITICAL POWER CONTRACT LEADERSHIP “The state of nature “The great and “Yet the “The executive power “Where-ever law ends, has a law of nature chief end legislature is to govern it, which therefore, of only relatively ‘is visibly subordinate tyranny begins” obliges everyone: men’s uniting into supreme and reason, which is commonwealths, among organs and accountable’ to the that law, teaches all and putting of government. mankind, who will themselves under Above the legislature, and may at The Duterte regime is but consult it, that government, is the legislature being all equal and preservation of there is still pleasure be changed one of the most independent, no one their property; to something ought to harm which in the state higher: the and displaced.’ The controversial and most another in his life, of nature there people.” health, liberty, or are many things (Ebenstein and legislature is supreme, criticized governments in possessions.” wanting” Ebenstein (Ebenstein and (Ebensten and 2000, chap. 18, but not absolutely; it is the world. His campaign Ebenstein 2000, chap. Ebenstein, 2000, 384) 18, 383) chap. 18, 399) only supreme in regarding the war on He preferred a The absence of Locke used the government relation to other organs drugs was problematic government term “property” as a that has characterizes the state general term to separation of of government, and the from the start yet so of nature, but not the include “lives, powers to absence of mutual liberties, and uphold checks limitations of the many Filipinos supported accountability. He saw estates.” He argued and balances— the state of nature as a that a Social which can be legislature are the end him because he place where persons, Contract would seen in while free, equal, and grant citizens the democratic of government, that is, apparently signifies independent, are assurance that countries today. bound by the law of fundamental But he asserts the protection of life, change. When he was nature to respect each aspects of their the relative other's rights to life, humanity are supremacy of liberty and property of seated however, things liberty, and property. protected. the legislature, In Locke’s view, the with the men.” (Ebenstein and really changed – for the “inconveniences” are executive and the instances wherein courts under it, Ebenstein, 2000, chap. worst part. When the war the state of nature as it has the would not be in its fiduciary power 18, 386) on drugs officially started peaceful state and that to serve the may lead to people. Thus, operations, many people aggression. the elected representatives Clearly, the – innocent or not – fell must safeguard the life, liberty, representative victim by the hands of his and property of the people. government that Locke men. He targeted those pushes for puts prime in who criticized him, the interests of the particularly journalists, people and their own making him practically interests (not necessarily invincible and everyone collective interests, but who tries to take his rather their individual power from him will be liberty). Organs of punished. The Duterte government are in the regime successfully end subordinate to the instilled fear in the interests of the people, hearts and minds of the and as representatives Filipinos. Having a they collate the interests president that sees no of the people and listen value and regard for to them. There is indeed human life, it is only a risk of misrepresenting logical to expect that interests, and thus Locke democracy will soon be puts in place checks and over. Little by little, as his balances such as the term passed by, we saw right to displace and how he tightened the change the executive grip on the country with power. no respect for the law. 17

ROUSSEAU'S SOCIAL CONTRACT STATE OF PERSPECTIVE OF CONCEPT OF LIMITS OF CONTEMPORARY NATURE THE SOCIAL POLITICAL POLITICAL APPLICATIONS CONTRACT LEADERSHIP POWER Rousseau described the state Rousseau views the Rousseau believes Rousseau’s view of The evident of nature as a peaceful state. social contract as that people who the nature of man, limitation on having He considered it as a “state the power of the are subjected to the belief that political power of innocence” where people people to create the law should man is self- mandated by the are leading a blissful yet their own laws. The wield all governing interested and will majority of the simple life as they enjoy social contract’s powers: legislative, only be in pursuit people is that absolute freedom, equality, purpose is to allow executive, and of things that can majority does not and bountiful resources of the state judicial. They may benefit him, guarantee all food. Rousseau believed that government, have special remains relevant (Ebenstein and men in the state of through the general government even today. We Ebenstein 2000, innocence are inherently will, to provide committees but have seen chap. 21, 450). What self-interested, and the security and allow these should also politicians serve might be beneficial to absence of societal and facilitate the be subordinate to the country with the majority can standards makes them free creation of laws the authority of nothing but greed, potentially take a toll from any moral obligations while at the same the people. we have been in on the minority. to anyone (Ebenstein and time retaining the situations where Aside from this, there Ebenstein 2000, chap. 21). liberty of the people we selfishly chose is no guarantee that Even so, men are intrinsically to rule themselves. what will benefit people will without compassionate in this state The state’s purpose us most fail follow a law just of innocence as they are able is to defend the regardless of the because they to empathize and sympathize people, and in order consequences, participated in with the lives of others. to retain freedom, and we have making it. Nevertheless, men will people must ensure witnessed what inevitably discern the that they do not some people can nihilistic way of life in the harm other people do to others just state of nature where they while being free by to get what they are unable to lead a surrendering all want. These are meaningful life and improve their rights to proofs that indeed themselves. So, men will establish civil liberty men are not eventually pursue worldly and achieving moral naturally values and seek the approval liberty (Ebenstein moralistic beings. of others. They will strive to and Ebenstein 2000, cooperate with others to chap. 21, 446-448) . secure their own self- preservation and they will establish moral codes that will further protect them from harm through the creation of a social contract. . 18

STATE OF PERSPECTIVE OF CONCEPT OF LIMITS OF CONTEMPORARY NATURE THE SOCIAL POLITICAL POLITICAL APPLICATIONS CONTRACT LEADERSHIP POWER “It is a pity in “‘The problem is to find a “The people, “The concept of the “It is too difficult which the state of form of association being subject to General Will to think nobly nature takes the which will defend and the laws, ought involves the when one thinks place of laws, protect with the whole to be their participation of only of earning a morals, and common force the author: the every citizen in the living.” virtues, with the person and goods of conditions of the making of laws; by added advantage each associate, and in society ought to taking part in the This concept that no one there which each, while be regulated process on a free transgresses into a is tempted to uniting himself with all, solely by those and equal basis much bigger disobey its gentle may still obey himself who come with all other application of the voice.” (Ebenstein alone, and remain as together to form citizens, he obliges quote which is on and Ebenstein free as before.’ This is it.” (Ebenstein himself in advance Philippine politics. 2000, chap. 21, 445) the fundamental and Ebenstein to obey the law We can see how problem of which the 2000, chap. 21, even if has voted politicians fight Rousseau claims Social Contract provides 462) against it, since each other in a that because the solution.” (Ebensten ‘the vote of the psychological way humans have a pity and Ebenstein, 2000, Rousseau wanted majority always just to get power instinct which is the chap. 21, 455) a popular binds the rest.’” and money. antecedent to government, (Ebenstein and Corruption is still reason, they would It is interesting to see how whereby the Ebenstein 2000, the best example not intentionally this quote can be people hold chap. 21, 450). for this since one abuse other species discussed among the inalienable and compromises the until their own increasing number of indivisible Although the well-being of his survival is at risk. today’s youth who believe sovereignty— sovereign power people and Pity and self- that the authoritarian hence wielding all wholly belongs to abandons his preservation are the regime of Ferdinand governmental the people, obligation to serve foundations of Marcos was an ideal time powers. The Rousseau assigns a his people. Man natural rights since for the country because people are the duty to every citizen: resorts to ignoble they are the most Filipinos have become legislators who will to participate in law- deeds and loses his basic impulses that “pasaway” and “have too decide on laws in making and obey the sense of humanity exist in man much freedom.” This accord with the laws made by the when faced with regardless of quote allows us to see that general will. people. Although the temptations. Power society. In there is a delicate balance Meanwhile, the power wholly and money are still Rousseau’s view, the that must be achieved executive and belongs to the the greatest state of nature is between social regulation judicial powers people, their corruptors of man. neutral and peaceful and individual liberties, can be entrusted limitation is that they in which solitary but it stresses that one to special must obey whatever 19 individuals operate cannot exist without the government law they impose in accordance with other. Therefore, it would committees, albeit upon themselves or their fundamental aid in explaining why a not entirely, as what the majority instincts and natural time like Martial Law, those should still imposes. The drive for self- where civil liberties were be under the opposite of this preservation. drastically curtailed, authority of the would practically be should not be repeated in people. a person acting as if the country. no laws existed.

Photo by Erik De Castro everyday products BY STEFFANY SY Ever since the industrial revolution undergo production in factories before it and the rise of machineries, most of the reaches the table. Paper, which is used products we use from food to our by people extensively from school, work, personal and household items are mass and even outside in the form of produced. Rice, the most popular food purchase receipts, forms, and the like, staple for Filipinos, is nowadays mostly go through a production process from imported and goes through a the harvesting of raw material to the production process with multiple steps production of specialized paper and divisions of labor before it reaches our plates. Beverages people regularly Our daily items such as our phones consume such as coffee and other food and electronics are also factory made. products like instant noodles also 20

In fact, even the houses we live in and must invest in to experience economic the infrastructure in our cities and towns growth (Bell 1992). A problem in the are also manufactured by companies, Philippines is the lack of investment in with workers having division of labor. the agricultural sector despite being an Almost every product we own and use agricultural country. More than two in right now are products of the labor of every three poor workers are farmers, as more than one individual. Division of they are not only devastated by tasks and a competitive economy is perennial natural calamities, but farmers necessary to convert the things we use also experience exploitation by their from raw material to product. landlords through meager wages (Briones 2016). But things worsened However, despite having the speed after the Duterte administration and efficiency of modern successfully passed the processes to produce Rice Tariffication Law, as everyday products, there \"A problem in the families of farmers are have also been some Philippines is the reported to have been negative effects to society. lack of investment in negatively affected and As such, mass-produced the agricultural some are forced to ask items are preferred over sector despite being their children to drop out handicrafts because they an agricultural of school as production are cheaper, leading to the country.\" costs dropped to ₱12 loss of traditional (Rivas 2020). craftsmanship. For many products such as food, excessive mass The coffee industry is also affected production has led to an increase in by lack of investments and support, as waste production. Labor has also been imported coffee beans are preferred to exploited, with farmers and construction local ones (Tan 2021). Adam Smith states workers among the lowest wage earners that the state’s role should be of a “night in the Philippines despite our watchman” which only oversees the dependency on the products they peace and security and not to intervene produce (Torres 2015). in the economy by means of excessive regulations and trade policies (Ebenstein Adam Smith's Theory of Economic and Ebenstein 2000, chap. 23, 502-503). Development identifies the agricultural Perhaps by adding investment to the key sector, the manufacturing sector, the sectors and removing trade regulations transportation sector, and the trade in favor of imported goods can the sector as the key sectors that societies country experience economic growth. 21

SHARING ADVOCACIES BY GISELLE MANUEL Building from the personal advocacies of two of The next poster depicts the plight of Filipino our group mates, the following section contains laborers. Marx and Engel's economic analysis of the posters that echo calls for the science and labor Industrial Age was primarily driven by their sector. observations of how laborers were exploited in the name of profit that they themselves had no access The first is a poster that showcases a call to make to. Workers slaved away in toxic work environments science truly serve the people. Since the technological (toxic, in a sense that attacks both the mind and the boom of the Industrial Revolution, scientific body) and were seen as expendable tools for advancements have been used to quicken capitalists who provided no just compensation communication, production, and operations across (Ebenstein and Ebenstein 2000, chap. 29). It is a great all industries. While these developments have injustice that even after almost two centuries, the certainly contributed to the evolution of mankind, our same kind of exploitation still occurs. group sees that science and technology have mainly been used to serve profit interests. This is especially Filipino laborers face many challenges. These true in the Philippine context where manufacturing include but are not limited to unsafe working remains weak and inaccessible, thereby making us conditions and inhumane pay (Rappler.com 2018), reliant on foreign companies. Important sectors such union busting (Hallare 2019), contractualization as that of agriculture are also being left behind in (Natividad 2020), and a lack of proper government aid service of other industries that may be seen as more in this time of COVID-19 (Buan 2021). These calls are profitable. displayed in our group's advocacy poster, but above all we stand behind the rallying cry of laborers in the Such an issue is exacerbated in the agricultural midst of this pandemic: protection of both livelihood sector given that our farmers continue to struggle and health. We believe that laborers should not be with a lack of modern machinery and materials. The seen as dispensable machines who work in service of absence of proper government support for scientific profit precisely because they are deserving of respect, development thus makes it extremely difficult for our just compensation, and dignity. farmers to get the wages and livelihood that they deserve. By re-orienting scientific development to solve issues that the Filipinos face, we ultimately aim to aid in agrarian reform and national industrialization so we may truly say that science and technology serve the people. 22

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Echoes of Liberty and Sacrifice BY RICHENE MENESES Photo by Joe Yates on Unsplash

26 In his essay On Liberty, J.S. Mill emphasized that all men should be given the freedom to act freely and without discrimination in society but their individual liberty is ultimately conditional on the impact it has on others. Any action that is harmful to others is enough for the state to intervene. As society progresses, people's social desire to conform to society jeopardizes their liberty. To secure one’s liberty, Mill identified what defines ultimate freedom for a person which are the self-regarding and other- regarding actions. Furthermore, he cited reasons why total individual freedom should be supported in civic society. One reason is suppressed viewpoints may be closer to the truth. People have different ways of expressing their suppressed views (Ebenstein and Ebenstein 2000, chap. 27, 581). A common way is through a song. In this activity, our group looked for songs that value human liberty and sacrifice. It is evident that they are in a form of protests or have a hopeful message. Songs such as Do You Hear the People Sing?, Bayan Ko, and Glory To Be Thee Hong Kong were sung by people as a form of protest. Protest songs are typically linked with social and political movements. They become popular during times of oppression when a group of people joined together to reclaim lost liberties in which brings oppressed people's voices to the fore. It is a rallying cry, a call to action, for everyone who has been persecuted. They stand up to unlawful authority and fight for change that benefits society by coming to the streets and voicing their voices. More significantly, these songs underline the need for togetherness; once people band together to resist injustice, their newfound enthusiasm and power will never fade. Since activists are frequently up against a far more powerful foe, these songs emphasize how a movement's success is determined by the number of individuals who participate since more supporters constitute a collectively greater force. Although some protest songs were written in two distinct languages, they both reflect a desire for freedom and human rights. Photo by Koshu Kunii on Unsplash

Photo by Jerome on Unsplash On the other hand, One Love, One Tribe, and We Are The World are songs made by artists to empower, strengthen, and inspire hope in other people. While music is commonly utilized for enjoyment, some musicians have opted to use their platforms to raise awareness about the need for action and change in our society. When you look around the world, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by all that's going on. It's all too simple to ignore people who are in need. However, we all have a responsibility to our planet and we can all help to make it a better place. These songs can assist us in coping with difficult and upsetting emotions while also allowing us to feel intimately connected to one another. We may use it to inspire others to make positive changes. Not only can music inspire us to achieve goals in our individual lives, but it may also inspire mankind to accomplish goals on a larger scale. Just like the lyrics in one song mentioned above, the importance of liberty to humans is like a trapped bird that was once soaring freely in the sky that laments and yearns for its release. People would do anything to safeguard it from those that threaten it. In justifying its importance, J.S. Mill used utilitarianism. Through the utility principle, he stated that acts are evaluated based on pleasure brought by their consequences and how many people they benefited. As people worked together to protect the liberty of others like sending a message through a song, happiness is experienced in its purest form because they do it for the sake of everyone else (Ebenstein and Ebenstein 2000, chap. 27, 584). 27

MEMES DISCOURSE MEMES DISCOURSE BY ZACH HIZON We actually think that memes are powerful tools to relay concepts – its power to symbolize and write into metaphor concepts that are abstract is underestimated. By definition, memes are cultural units, e.g., pictures, audio, etc., spread from person to person (Shifman 2013). When it is spread from person to person, there is a common understanding of the concept or idea behind the meme. Even if the meme is intentionally obscure, we argue that the person who shares it understands that it is obscure intentionally and therefore understands the meme. The memes we present here are somewhat obscure, and a few are considered as “anti-memes”, i.e. memes where one would expect a clincher to the joke contained in the meme, but in fact there is none. Durkheim’s theory of solidarity includes mechanical solidarity, i.e. solidarity formed due to shared commonalities (same occupation, same ethnicity), and organic solidarity which is solidarity formed through interdependence despite differences in occupation, ethnicity, gender, et cetera (Durkheim 1960). It is these differences that actually generates this interdependence: due to one person only being able to do a few tasks and the other being able to complement the other, they become interdependent. Therefore we used the dog on four cans meme template to represent this. 28

MEMES DISCOURSE Mechanical solidarity is represented by the pointing spiderman meme template, where each Spiderman recognizes the other Spidermans. After all, the first step to mechanical solidarity is recognizing commonalities. To avoid the typical “when you…” or “the feeling when…” captions, we simply labeled the picture with “Mechanical Solidarity Bottom Text” to be more straightforward. Weber describes three types of legitimate political authority. The first one is rational authority, established with a common understanding between the enforcer and the enforced because the two understand that its existence rests on reason and legal grounds (Weber 2015). We therefore used an anti-meme describing Lisa explaining a surprising but convincing argument to an audience that listens. 29

MEMES DISCOURSE The second type of legitimate political authority is traditional authority, which rests on the sanctity of tradition that upholds a status quo (Weber 2015). We used the meme template of Chowder from the cartoon Chowder defending a book entitled Comedy Gold to depict any of us defending a meme template from 2008, as one might see it as sacred due to nostalgia. The third type of legitimate political authority is charismatic authority, which rests on the devotion to a perceived form of merit or character (emphasis on perceived, as that group may be the only group seeing the merit or character) (Weber 2015). We used a Twitter thread between Elon Musk and someone who promotes non-fungible tokens (NFTs) – clearly, Musk has a hold over the person promoting NFTs, under the assumption that billionaires often gain a cult-like following from people who participate in cryptocurrency trading. 30

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\"The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways, the point, however, is to change it.\" - Karl Marx