Philosophia Society

The 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐚 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 warmly congratulates 𝑲𝒖𝒚𝒂 𝑱𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒂𝒏, 𝑲𝒖𝒚𝒂 𝑹𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆, 𝑨𝒕𝒆 𝑱𝒐𝒚, 𝑨𝒕𝒆 𝑮𝒘𝒆𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒕𝒆 𝑬𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒛𝒂 on earning their 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 degree, Class of 2026!

Your commitment to the pursuit of wisdom and truth reflects the very spirit of our community. May you continue to think critically, live meaningfully, and inspire others through philosophy. We are so proud of you!

Issue #22 | Hypatia
by Elyyah Gem Baroma

In periods of intellectual crisis, philosophy reveals its true nature—not as abstract speculation, but as resistance. Hypatia of Alexandria (c. 355–415 CE) stands as one of its earliest and most enduring figures.

As a mathematician, astronomer, and teacher, Hypatia embodied the Neoplatonic ideal of the philosophical life. She did not merely transmit knowledge but cultivated in her students a disciplined commitment to reason (logos) and intellectual virtue.

Situated within the Neoplatonic tradition, Hypatia advanced the view that philosophy is not reducible to theoretical speculation but is a transformative practice. To know the truth is to orient the soul toward the Good; thus, rational inquiry becomes an ethical task. Her pedagogy emphasized clarity of thought, coherence of argument, and the rejection of unexamined beliefs and principles that remain foundational to philosophical inquiry.

However, Hypatia’s significance cannot be detached from her socio-political context. Alexandria in the 5th century was marked by intensifying tensions between competing religious and political authorities. Within this volatile environment, Hypatia’s intellectual independence, her refusal to subordinate reason to dogma or factional allegiance whichrendered her both influential and vulnerable.

Her death, at the hands of a violent mob, is often interpreted not merely as a historical tragedy but as a philosophical rupture: a moment that exposes the fragility of reason in the face of fanaticism. It underscores a perennial problem in political philosophy, the conflict between free inquiry and structures of power that seek to regulate truth.

Hypatia’s legacy endures as a challenge: to think clearly, to question deeply, and to remain steadfast in truth, even when the cost is high.

𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐒 | 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐎 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

On March 18, 2026, 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 was full of energy, creativity, and lots of thinking! Participants brought famous philosophers to life with awesome costumes, making the past feel totally present.

The day was filled with fun and engaging activities: 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 tested quick thinking and teamwork, the 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗲: 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 challenged participants’ knowledge and problem-solving skills, and the 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲sparked thoughtful discussion and critical thinking.

It was a day of fun, learning, and philosophical adventures—proving that thinking deeply can also be exciting!

𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐒 | 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐎 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐒 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐀 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆

On March 18, 2026, 𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗢 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 became a simple yet meaningful gathering among members of the 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘢 𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 — filled with genuine conversations, shared insights, and thoughtful reflection. With the theme “𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒, 𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐻𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝐷𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦: 𝐴 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝐼𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑦,” we had the opportunity to listen and learn from 𝗝𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹𝗼 𝗤. 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝗟𝗣𝗧, 𝗠𝗣𝗔, 𝗣𝗵𝗗, as he guided us through 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗥𝗮𝘄𝗹𝘀’ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀—reminding us that a just society is something we all help build.

More than just a talk, it became a moment for us to pause, think deeply, and connect with one another through philosophy.

To our fellow members, thank you for showing up, sharing your thoughts, and making the discussion feel alive and real.

Issue #21 | Hannah Arendt
by Frances Gwen J. Fang

This National Women's Month, let us revisit Hannah Arendt's political thought.

First, I start with the question, would you rather be lonely or stupid? We'll get back to this later.

"The banality of evil" is a philosophical concept by Hannah Arendt that describes how cruelty is not only committed by monsters but also by ordinary people who mindlessly follow orders or procedures without intentional thought.

One of the most popular quotes attributed to her is, "Evil comes from the failure to think."

Evil can be a philosophically broad concept. In simple understanding aligned with Arendt, it is characterized by the lack of thought, leading to the failure to see others as human persons. A stark example is how an individual deliberately or treacherously murders another with no remorse, but of course, that is the extreme. There are evil deeds that happen without seemingly affecting other people, such as bribing a traffic officer. Both are evil in distinct degrees, but are under the guise of thoughtlessness of both the deed itself and the results it may bring.

Arendt argues that the failure to think critically is exploited by totalitarian governments seeking to exercise total control over every aspect of public and private life. Totalitarianism thrives by the use of ideology, manifested in the form of attempting to convince others about a metaphysical truth without scientific evidence. It is important to note that Arendt's thought emphasizes the reconstruction of political existence.

According to Arendt,

The way that people get others to mindlessly accept an ideology is to make sure that they are lonely.

Being lonely and in solitude are two different things. Solitude is the gateway to human creative thought, making it the last thing that totalitarian organizations want from the people they sought to govern. The totalitarian government abolishes classes. They want masses that accept an ideology with little to no resistance.

Their goal is to make people lonely and feel banished from society, or simply feel guilty of deviance, which in turn leads them to conform to a "non-thinking" society passive enough to not even entertain a pivotal role of revolution. Arendt posits that loneliness in the political sphere amounts to loneliness in the social sphere.

Being lonely is characterized by a sense of abandonment by society, leading to non-participation in any political movement. Stupid people easily conform. Lonely people don't see any purpose in conforming but overlook the fact that by doing so, they are bound to do what others do to maintain their status. Lonely people are stagnant. Stupid people are, in essence, directionless.

When asked if you'd rather be lonely or stupid, answer that metaphysics and reality do not limit your being or political existence. The question does not require you to see only two options in the first place. Only "ordinary" people think that way.

March marks Women's Month. To celebrate, Philosophy in a Nutshell will feature four women philosophers throughout the month of March: Mary Wollstonecraft (one of the founding feminist philosopher), Hannah Arendt (a political philosopher who coined the term "banality of evil"), Simone de Beauvoir (a trailblazer in feminist philosophy), and Hypatia (an ancient mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher).

Happy Women's Month, everybody.

𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅. 𝑷𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒈𝒆𝒔: 𝑨𝒏 𝑬𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏: 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚?

Participants are encouraged to portray or dress as a philosopher who inspires their reflections on life, purpose, and what it means to live authentically.

We look forward to seeing you all—come ready to have fun, share ideas, and wear your best philosopher-inspired outfits!✨

🖼️Layout: Kyzsa Mae Aumada
🖋️Caption: Richard Bryan Peralta

𝙄𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣. 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣. 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙗𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚.

𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺. 𝗔 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁, 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻.

📅Date: March 18, 2026
⏰Time: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
📍Venue: Room B505

See you there as we explore ideas, ask questions, and celebrate the spirit of philosophy together!

🖼️Layout: Kyzsa Mae Aumada
🖋️Caption: Richard Bryan Peralta

Issue #20 | Mary Wollstonecraft
by Kyzsa Mae O. Aumada

What if the reason women were seen as “inferior” was not nature—but a lack of opportunity?

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) challenged this belief during the Enlightenment, arguing that women are just as capable of reason and virtue as men. In A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), she rejected the idea that women exist only for beauty and obedience, insisting instead that they are rational beings who deserve equal respect and opportunity.

She believed that education is the key to equality. If women were given the same access to learning as men, they could contribute meaningfully to society as thinkers and citizens, not just as wives and mothers. She also criticized social norms that encouraged women to prioritize emotion over reason, arguing that true virtue must be grounded in rational thought. Her philosophy calls for dignity, empowerment, and justice—principles that continue to shape modern feminist thought today.

Issue #19 | Confucius
by Joey R. Trinidad Jr.

The concept of Confucianism has been envisioned as a high-flying heavenly theory, yet in the real sense it had been just a practical tool to approach life down here on earth. Born in the disorderly Warring States era of China, Confucius or in other words Kong Fuzi had his desire to harmonic society not by the intervention of supernatural abilities but to be humanized by honing the human character and learn the role small people all of us have in the society.

At the centre of his concept lies Ren that is benevolence or kindness. He thought that any person can always be good, however, the good has to be polished by Li, ceremonies and etiquette which reduce the social interactions within a manageable limit. These to Confucius were not empty rituals, but the social grammar that bows, greetings, showing respect to elders, kept ego tussles at bay so they did not turn into conflict.

The harmony begins in the family with Xiao, or filial piety. We develop a greater responsibility by being obedient to our parents. Confucius regarded the society as a system of five relations namely Ruler and Subject, Father and son, Husband and Wife, Elder and Younger Sibling, and Friend and Friend among which all but friendship were hierarchical. But the responsibility is two-fold, a lord must be kind to get a subject to be loyal as a father needs to be prudent to receive reverence.

Everything is orchestrated by what he referred to as the Silver Rule by not imposing on others what one doesn’t want to possess. One would be a Junzi- an exemplary gentleman by matching his internalized sense of righteousness (Yi) with his external behavior. Confucius also taught that personal development heats the family, and a family that is controlled leads to calmness of the state. To him, the world can start in harmony by having a single good heart.

Issue #18 | Chinese Philosophers and Their Ideas of Love
by Sandra Sophia S. Viloria

February has recently been characterized by hearts and lanterns. With this in mind, let us discuss the ideas of love associated with Chinese philosophy: Confucianism’s ren and Mohism’s jian’ai.

Confucianism was founded by Confucius. Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who lived from 551 - 479 B.C. The idea of ren already existed during pre-Confucian times and was often referring to a manly quality of sorts. However, ren to Confucius pertained to human relatedness and can be translated into various ways in English, such as benevolence, love, and compassion. For the sake of simplicity and brevity, we will only focus on ren as the general concern for humanity. General concern for humanity can be related to love all of humanity. However, this does not mean that the person applying ren into one’s life ought to literally love all of humanity indiscriminately. Ren in this sense better relates to how it is possible for a person to have general concern for the people while still being prudent in assessing an individual’s character.

Mozi was the alleged founder of Mohism who lived c.470 - 391 B.C. Mohism advocated the idea of jian’ai. Jian’ai is popularly translated as “universal love.” However, this translation does not fully capture the essence of jian’ai. Jian’ai’s meaning is better understood as “impartial concern”, which is valuing others as how one values oneself. Jian’ai is not one-sided and is only realized when there is a mutual impartial concern between people and in which others have reciprocal benefit. Mozi believed that our actions always have reciprocity: the way we treat others is how we will also be treated. If we want to be treated in a certain way, we must treat others in that same way, then can we receive the treatment that we would wish for ourselves. Jian’ai, when practiced by everyone, will bring forth a more harmonious society, which will also prove to be more productive.

As we can see, ren and jian’ai do not fully relate to the usual emotion we think upon hearing the word “love”. Nevertheless, ren and jian’ai provide useful insights into things that we may not usually relate to love. Ren’s general concern for humanity while being prudent to an individual’s character shows that we can still love a person while being aware of the person’s character, both the desirable and not so desirable. Jian’ai’s impartial concern reminds us about the interconnectedness of human beings: the way we treat others is how we will also be treated; and so, the way we love other people is how we will be loved in return. The ideas of these philosophers from the ancient East have stood the test of time and we can continue to benefit from their wisdom.