CLE Synthesis Questions
1. After our class activities and discussions, you will have reflected on your different philosophies of knowledge in the five (5) different areas. What have you decided should be your philosophy of knowledge per area? Why does it make sense for you to hold each of these philosophy of knowledge in every area? Cite reasons and examples to support your claims.
As discussed in class, we should all strive to be evaluativists in each and every Area of Knowledge. I used to be a mostly relativist person but upon further reflection, I realized that evaluativism is really the best among the three Philosophies of Knowledge. This is because evaluativism strikes the crucial balance between the two extremes. On one hand, absolutism considers only one idea to be the absolute truth; no questions asked. When an absolutist believes in an idea, there is no swaying him. An absolutist will stand for an idea without even knowing whether or not it is the best one out there. On the other side of the spectrum is relativism. A relativist considers everything to be more or less equally true, thus taking no side in any idea. Relativism flaws in the way that even the absurdly wrong ideas are counted as equals to the more correct ones. Evaluativism is between these two in the way that it considers others’ opinions (relativism) and further investigates into the idea to find the one that stands tall over the others (absolutism).
2. How do the philosophies of knowledge differ in their stance towards authority, opinion, and evidence/argument in the five (5) areas of the Physical Sciences, Human/Social Sciences, Art, Morality, and Religion? That is, how do they use and/or rely on the different bases for justifying or evaluating claims in the different disciplines? Now that you have reflected on all this matter and have grown hopefully wiser, how would you use authority, opinion, and evidence/argument in the different areas?
The five different areas of knowledge have their own unique configurations for their specific bases for justification. Physical Sciences, which relies heavily on phenomenon, holds evidence and argument in high regards. I mean, what other way is there to prove that gravity exists than simply to observe it in action? Of course authority is also important in the natural sciences. Opinion though, has little to no influence on phenomenon. For example, if everyone on Earth believed that gravity doesn’t exist, would gravity just stop working? I would tend to say no (though it would be worth a shot).
Human Sciences on the other hand rely a lot on opinion. Using a similar example, suppose the entirety of Earth’s population suddenly believes that stealing is good. Would stealing then be considered a welcome practice? Well according to Earth v2’s society, yes. Human Sciences is all about the mind of humans and how they work and by virtue of having a unique and distinct life, each human tends to act somewhat differently from one another. Morality, much like Human Sciences, tends to differ from person to person.
Art is almost entirely dependent on opinion. An artwork can only truly be appreciated if one has an opinion about it. Whether said opinion be on the technical side or the emotional side of art, opinions help enrich art. Opinion is also very much important to Religion. As of now, there is no existing physical proof (evidence/argument) that enables a certain religion to be determined as more true than the rest (authority). This leaves Religion entirely to opinion and choice.
3. Choose one (1) way of knowing in Religion, and discuss how this operates. Compare how it works in the other four areas of knowledge. Cite an example and illustrate how this selected way of knowing actually leads to knowing in Religion.
Perhaps the most applicable Way of Knowing in Religion is faith. Religion is reliant on one’s trust, and faith is exactly that. Faith works well with Religion and not with the other Areas of Knowledge because the others are focused on more concrete and physical ways. Natural Sciences is all about physical evidences and Human Sciences and Morality/Ethics are more on personal opinions. Art is focused on emotions and one’s responses to them. Religion is the only Area of Knowledge wherein pure trust and belief can completely fuel the area.
SOP Reflection #3
This certain SOP Saturday wasn’t as activity-filled as my first two but it was nonetheless meaningful as well. This Saturday started out slow with only Tatay present at the time I arrived. We had a little smalltalk chat and eventually Nanay, Baby Jade, and Kuya Dexter arrived. Along with them arrived a box which I later learned contained a broken DVD player and a few CDs.
Soon after they arrived, Kuya Dexter (an Electronics graduate) fixed the DVD player and the Mendoza family invited me to watch alongside them. Their movie of choice was the sort of horror film “World War Z”. I might have spent a good part of this SOP simply watching a movie but through that, I also learned a lot about my family.
Throughout our viewing of the movie, I noticed something; that these people weren’t that different from my family and I. They made the same snarky comments about Brad Pitt’s hair that I also made, they screamed at the same jump scares I screamed at, and they couldn’t start the movie without having food, just as I do. I realized today that these people are just like us, except that they’re exposed to drastically different conditions. Today was the day that I stopped seeing the Mendozas as my assigned SOP family and started seeing them as ordinary people living in the same world we do. I have gotten so used to viewing these people as completely different people in a completely world but today changed that for me.
SOP Reflection 2
Prior to yesterday, I was really looking forward to coming back to Salapan. And this is was because I was still sort of tense and stuck-up the first Saturday. This time, I was hoping to be more casual and “chill”. Fortunately enough, they helped me with that. Nanay and tatay were really casual this time. They treated me as a friend rather than just some visitor of theirs. We started talking about their neighbors, some of the other Xavierians, and how the relocation progress was doing. Also new this Saturday was kuya Darlo. Last week, kuya Darlo was too busy with housework to interact with me. But this time, I really got to know more about him and his family. He even said goodbye to me as he left for work.
The second thing that I noticed when I entered the somewhat familiar Mendoza household was that there was a lot more residents than I seem to recall. Last time I was there, there were only 4 people present: tatay, nanay, kuya Darlo, and baby Jade. This time, there were 3 more. I wasn’t able to catch their names though as they left almost immediately after I had arrived.
In my opinion, and probably only in my opinion, this second day of SOP was a lot harder on me. Not because of my assigned family but rather because of a horrible headache that I had to endure. Another unexpected hinderance yesterday was the arrival of the data-collctors/census-taking people. These were the people tasked with collecting data about a household so that it would be easier to relocate them when demolition time comes. Because of this, my number of people to talk to grew from 2 to 6. Their arrival also meant that nanay and tatay’s focus was shifted away from me. This was only a slight setback as they soon invited me to join in the discussion. Other than those two slight problems, everything went a lot better than my first encounter with the Mendozas.
SOP Reflection 1
The first thing that came into my mind when I thought of the Salapan community was that it would be way “poorer” than it actually was. I was expecting to visit a house that I can barely stand in. Instead, I was assigned to a, given the situation of the other houses, relatively decent house with a proper floor and a high enough roof. The family that lived in it, the Mendozas, was also surprisingly kind and welcoming. It was shocking for me to find out that they even had quite a few gadgets.
My main challenge in my SOP experience was communication. My Filipino isn’t necessarily the best and , as expected, English isn’t used in Salapan. This hindered me from expressing a few ideas and asking certain questions. Another big challenge for me was having something to do. For the most part of the first SOP Saturday, I was just chatting with “tatay” about his condition and his story. But for the times we weren’t chatting, it was pretty awkward. Next Saturday, I plan on spending more time with the other family members such as the “kuya” and baby Jade”.
Individual Reflection: Learner Profile
#1 Risk-Taker
As of now, I am not the biggest risk-taker I know. I usually stick with the “safe and guaranteed” way of doing things. I almost always stay inside the figurative “box”. I want to be a bigger risk taker so that I can explore new ways of doing things that used to be simple and straightforward. To be a bigger risk taker, I decided to take the biggest risk I can make as of now, which is of course the IB Programme. In the IB Programme, I want to develop my sense of risk-taking through the many doors IB will open for me
#2 Inquirer
By virtue of not being a risk-taker, I am also naturally not a very big inquirer. I often stay content with the knowledge I have. I also often exhibit a “stay with the instructions” mindset. I spend my time focusing on what I already know than on learning new things by asking. I plan to be a better inquirer by exploring new things throughout the IB Programme. With new opportunities come new experiences, and with new experiences come new questions.
#3 Balanced
I am not a very physical person. I spend most of my days at home, instead of being outdoors like some of my fellow classmates. Because of this, my mental side has been developing well but that leaves my physicality lagging behind. Through CAS I hope to develop my physical side and further grow my mental side.
SOP Blog #3
Yesterday’s visit was sort of the grand finale to our SOP experience. And staying true to our other two trips to Old Folks, yesterday’s interaction was full of unexpected things.
The first notable thing was that we were actually early. Kyle and I bought the food very quickly and the whole group managed to get to Old Folks way before our starting time. The problem though was that we weren’t the only ones there. It turns out that the angkongs had other visitors (visitors who I later learned were part of a jogging association or something). Because of this, we had to wait outside the building until the jogging association left. Our next problem, which came just after the association left, was that we had no teacher. Soon enough, a CMSO representative came, saying that Mrs. Santos was going to be absent. In only a few minutes, we were ready to start but then Mrs. Santos appeared out of nowhere. She took over and we finally had our chance to start. The usual things happened: we grouped ourselves and we talked a little. This part really felt like a culmination for me because I had reunited with the three angkongs I interacted most with and the other two students that helped me do so. We were busy chatting away when Renzo, our president, started asking people if they wanted to play a game. 2of my 3 angkongs agreed to play and the other opted to simply watch. The game was really fun because of the techniques the angkongs learned ever since our last meeting. Eventually, the game had to end and we were told to retire to the dining hall. Kyle and I distributed water while everyone else helped with food. After around 10 minutes of eating, everyone finished and we were went around to say our goodbyes because a new batch of visitors already arrived.
What yesterday’s visit taught me to value our time. This was because everything I mentioned happened only in a span of an hour. This forced us to be thankful for what little time we had with our angkongs. And that is basically the biggest thing I learned from my SOP experience: to be thankful.
(Repost because the first post didn’t work for some reason)
Sop Blog #2
Yesterday, my group mates and I had our second SOP Saturday at the same place as last week, Chinese Old Folks. This time we weren’t accompanied by our mentor, Mrs. Santos, but rather, we were accompanied by Mr. Maghuyop, who was more than a suitable substitute.
When we first entered Old Folks, I didn’t anymore feel the fears and anxieties that I did last week. This time, there were familiar places, familiar sights, and most importantly, familiar faces. We had a lot more preparations for this week’s SOP because now we knew the angkongs’ personalities, likes, and dislikes. We even had activities planned. These include: lunch and games. First on the agenda was to just talk and acquaint ourselves with new angkongs. But instead of staying to chat, Kyle Cheng and I had to leave to go get lunch for both our fellow students and the angkongs. Before we could do this though, we had to find a place to get food. We first spotted a Jolibee near to Old Folks but it was under renovation. Eventually, we found a KFC beside one of the markets. There we ordered quite a number of Flavoured Shot Meals. While waiting, Kyle had the great idea of venturing into the market to buy a little something for the angkongs. Soon enough, we returned to KFC with two bunches of bananas in hand. After a while, our order was complete and we were free to return to Old Folks. When we got back, people were already organized into their own groups and were already talking. Kyle found his way to the “only Chinese” group and I partnered up with Steven, who was given two angkongs to converse with. Those two angkongs were angkong Domingo and angkong Kilai/Kilay/Keelai/Keelay. I talked mostly to angkong Domingo because he spoke fluent Filipino. Angkong Domingo told us about his family, who are spread throughout China, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Angkong Domingo is surprisingly smart for his age. He is well versed in several languages such as English, Filipino. Mandarin, Fookien, and Bisaya. He even taught Steven and I about a few Bisaya words. After a while of chatting, our prepared game started. The game was simple, it was basically just throwing a ball (which later became two) to any person in a group circle. We all had a lot of fun while playing. I could see genuine smiles across the faces of everyone, even us students. When the game was over, we gave the players their prizes and we ate lunch.
This week’s SOP was just as much a learning experience as last week’s SOP. This time, I learned that people aren’t always what they seem. My angkong this time, angkong Domingo, didn’t seem like the smart guy he is. When I asked him about his favorite food, he kept on talking and even went on to explaining the history of both Mongolia and Hong Kong. Not a lot of old people I know do that or even remember trivia like that. I hope that our final Saturday experience with the angkongs of Old Folks will be a worthy finale to the learning experience that is SOP.
SOP #1
Yesterday, my mentoring group mates and I went for our first ever Saturday Outreach Program (SOP) to this place called Philippine Chinese Charitable Association (PCCA) Chinese Old Folks Home or simply, Old Folks.
When we first arrived at Old Folks at around 8:30 am, I felt somewhat nervous and intimidated. This only worsened when we entered the sort of hall of the building. This was because my first impression of these angkongs was that they were hard to talk to and hard to relate to. After arriving, both us students and the angkongs briefly introduced one another. During their introductions, I learned that most of these angkongs are older than I had anticipated, furthering my earlier fears. Aside from this, my biggest fear was that I would be matched with an angkong who only knew how to speak Fookien, as I have absolutely no background in the language. Eventually, it was time for us to group up into groups of 4. My group was composed of two students who could speak Fookien (Steven and Kyle), two students who couldn’t (Jeremy and I), two angkongs who could speak Filipino, and two angkongs who could not. I feel that I couldn’t have gotten a better group. During our group discussions, I learned the names of our 4 angkongs which are: Angkong Benjamin, Angkong Tomas, Angkong Lao, and Angkong Alberto. I partnered up with Kyle so that I can also talk to the angkongs who could speak only Fookien. After a while of small talk, we were instructed to offer our angkongs food and drink. This somewhat helped me feel closer to our angkongs. Eventually, one of the angkongs had to go to bed for some reason. This meant that Kyle and I were left with angkong Benjamin, who could speak fluent Filipino. I felt very comfortable and at ease conversing with angkong Benjamin because first, he spoke fluent Filipino. Angkong Benjamin was also very open about his life. He even told us a story of one time he caught a guy trying to fake a winning lotto ticket. After a while of taking, we asked him if he could show us around Old Folks. He gladly accepted and started walking towards the elevator. Angkong Benjamin showed us all the places where he usually goes like the kitchen, the veranda of sorts, and of course, his room. Angkong Benjamin shares his room with several other angkongs. When I saw the room, I left a little because of the lack of anything in the room. What I saw in the room were beds, drawers, and lockers. Nothing else. As I write this reflection, I feel very fortunate having things that I have that the angkongs deserve but do not have.
This first day of SOP taught me how lucky and fortunate I am for what I have. The angkongs, who spent their lives working and laboring, end up with so little while us Xavierians have way more due to our families. Our first day also taught me that money isn’t everything. Angkong Benjamin has only a bed, a drawer, and a few cigarettes yet he talked to us as if he had all that he ever wanted. I learned so much in only a span of a few hours and I hope to learn so much more next week.
Camera shots and techniques
That is the link to the video my group mates and I made. We made it using my classmates Ipad. It is only a 10 second long video so didn’t have much leg room. Also, because it was a really short video, it was very easy to shoot. My group chose a spot under a large tree so that it wouldn’t be too bright. We also took the size of the area into consideration. This was because if the space was small, our long shots would not look the way we wanted to. My classmate came up with the idea of our video. We also added to his main idea. Our camera man made sure to follow the rule of thirds and the 180 degrees rule.
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