Magisterial Lectures | Antonette Palma-Angeles PhD - Doing Philosophy

Summary

In this philosophical lecture, the speaker explores the relationship between life and philosophy through Gabriel Marcel's concepts of primary and secondary reflection. They argue that philosophy doesn't merely explain life but helps to constitute it, using the metaphor of making a baguette to illustrate the idea that life is about experience and not just explanation. The lecture delves into the process of self-discovery through reflection, emphasizing the importance of relationships and communal experiences in truly understanding one's identity. It concludes with the notion that existence is an exclamatory awareness, discoverable through reflection and interaction with others.

Takeaways

• 📚 Philosophy is not about explaining life but about helping to constitute it, as suggested by Maurice Blondell.
• 🥖 An analogy of making a baguette is used to illustrate that life, like a baguette, is more than the sum of its parts and is experienced through the process.
• 🌼 Primary reflection involves breaking down an experience to understand its components, but it is insufficient to capture the essence of what makes something what it is.
• 🔍 Secondary reflection attempts to reassemble the dissected parts to understand the object or experience within a broader context.
• 🤔 The question 'who am I?' is explored through both primary and secondary reflection, emphasizing that identity is not solely defined by categorization.
• 📉 Primary reflection dissects experiences into categories, but these categories often apply to many others and are not unique to the individual.
• 🔑 Secondary reflection reveals that the 'I' or self is discovered through relationships and experiences with others, not just through self-referential categories.
• 💡 Existence is described as an exclamatory awareness, which is heightened during intense experiences and interactions with others.
• 🧘‍♂️ The 'I' or subject emerges in experiences and relationships, suggesting that the self is a mystery that can only be lived and discovered.
• 🌟 The importance of reflection in living life is emphasized, as it allows for a deeper understanding and thriving in one's existence.
• 📖 The lecture concludes by encouraging students to reflect, dwell, and engage in relationships to truly prosper and understand their identity.

Q & A

What is the main topic of today's lecture?

The main topic is the concept of philosophizing in Tagalog, using Gabriel Marcel's primary and secondary reflection.

What does Maurice Blondell's quote imply about the relationship between philosophy and life?

The quote suggests that philosophy does not merely explain life but actively helps to constitute it.

What is the analogy used to explain the limitations of explaining life through description alone?

The analogy of making a baguette is used to illustrate that experiencing life is more than just understanding its ingredients and instructions.

What is the term used to describe everyday mundane experiences in philosophy?

The term used is 'kotidium' or 'ordinarium', which refers to the everyday ordinary experiences of life.

What are primary and secondary reflections according to Gabriel Marcel?

Primary reflection dissolves the unity of an experience to dissect it, while secondary reflection attempts to put it back together within a larger context.

How does the lecturer illustrate the concept of primary reflection?

The lecturer uses the example of dissecting the concept of 'who am I' into categories like name, education, religion, etc., which are not unique to oneself.

What is the limitation of primary reflection when trying to define one's identity?

The limitation is that primary reflection breaks down identity into categories that can also apply to many other people, failing to capture the uniqueness of an individual.

What does the lecturer suggest as the way to truly understand oneself beyond categories?

The lecturer suggests that understanding oneself beyond categories can only be achieved through secondary reflection, which involves relating to others and experiencing life's moments.

What is the 'I' that emerges in experiences according to the lecturer?

The 'I' that emerges in experiences is the subjective 'I', which is not captured by concepts and categories but is lived and discovered in relationships with others.

What is the final message of the lecture regarding the pursuit of understanding oneself and life?

The final message is that to truly live and understand life, one must learn to stop, reflect, and dwell, recognizing that the 'I' is a mystery to be discovered through relationships and experiences.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Philosophical Reflection

The lecture begins with an introduction to the relationship between life and philosophy, emphasizing that philosophy is not about explaining life but rather about helping to constitute it. The speaker uses the metaphor of making a baguette to illustrate that life, like a baguette, is more than the sum of its parts and can only be truly understood through experience. The concept of 'kotiinum' or 'ordinarium' is introduced, which refers to the everyday mundane experiences that make up life. The speaker explains that philosophy aids in living life by teaching philosophical reflection, which is divided into primary and secondary reflection.

05:02

🔍 Primary and Secondary Reflection Defined

The speaker delves into the concepts of primary and secondary reflection. Primary reflection involves breaking down an experience or thing into its components, such as dissecting what makes a flower a flower. However, this method is insufficient to capture the essence of the experience. Secondary reflection, on the other hand, attempts to reassemble the dissected parts to understand the object within a larger context. The speaker uses the song 'In the Greater Scheme of Things' by Father John Bosco to illustrate this concept and encourages the audience to apply primary and secondary reflection to the question 'Who am I?'

10:03

🤔 The Search for Self Beyond Categories

The speaker discusses the limitations of using categories to define oneself, such as gender, religion, or family status. These categories, while meaningful, are not unique to any individual and can apply to many others. The speaker points out the irony that attempts to establish a unique identity through these categories actually end up being references to others. The realization that one is more than these categories leads to the question of how to differentiate oneself beyond them. The speaker introduces the idea that the 'I' or self emerges not in concepts and categories but in experiences and relationships with others.

15:05

🌟 Existence and the 'I' in Relationships

The speaker concludes by emphasizing that the true sense of self, or the 'I', can only be discovered through intense communion with others and experiences that cannot be captured in categories or concepts. The 'I' is a mystery that emerges in moments of strong self-awareness, such as being loved, affirmed by family, or experiencing peace after a crisis. These moments are exclamatory awareness of existence, made possible through relationships with others. The speaker advises students to live life by stopping, reflecting, and dwelling on these experiences, as this is the way to truly prosper and thrive, according to both Mr. Spock and the philosopher Aristotle.

Keywords

💡Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. In the video, it is presented as a discipline that does not merely explain life but actively helps to constitute it. The lecturer uses the making of a baguette as an analogy to illustrate how philosophy is more about the experience and the process of living rather than just theoretical understanding.

💡Primary Reflection

Primary reflection, as discussed in the script, is the process of breaking down an experience, event, or thing into its constituent parts. It is a method of dissecting an object to understand its individual components. The lecturer uses primary reflection to analyze the question 'who am I?' by breaking down personal attributes, which ultimately reveals that these categories are insufficient to capture one's identity.

💡Secondary Reflection

Secondary reflection is the process of reassembling the dissected parts of an experience or object to understand its wholeness or place within a larger context. In the video, it is contrasted with primary reflection, emphasizing the need to put the pieces back together to understand the bigger picture. The lecturer explains that secondary reflection helps to locate an experience or object within a broader scheme of things.

💡Ordinarium

Ordinarium, or 'everydayness,' refers to the mundane and routine aspects of life that are often overlooked in favor of more dramatic or significant events. The video emphasizes that life is truly about these everyday experiences, which philosophers sometimes refer to in a more profound way, illustrating the importance of recognizing and appreciating the ordinary in our lives.

💡Existence

Existence, in the context of the video, is presented as an exclamatory awareness that is deeply personal and experiential. The lecturer discusses how existence is not just about being categorized or defined but is something that is lived and felt, particularly in moments of strong self-realization.

💡I-Subject

The 'I-Subject' refers to the personal, experiential self that is distinct from the 'I-Object,' which can be described in categories. The video script explores the concept that the true essence of the self emerges not through categorization but through experiences and relationships with others, highlighting the subjective nature of self-awareness.

💡Relationships

Relationships are portrayed as essential to understanding and discovering the self in the video. The lecturer argues that the 'I-Subject' can only be truly known and experienced through intense interactions and connections with other people, suggesting that self-awareness is inherently social and relational.

💡Categorization

Categorization is the process of assigning something to a particular group or class based on its attributes. In the script, the lecturer uses categorization to initially define the self through attributes like gender, religion, and family status. However, it is later revealed that these categories are insufficient to capture the essence of the self.

💡Self-Realization

Self-realization in the video refers to the moments of profound awareness and understanding of one's own identity and existence. The lecturer describes instances such as being loved, feeling affirmed at a family reunion, or experiencing peace after a personal crisis as moments of strong self-realization that cannot be captured by categories.

💡Dwelling

Dwelling, as mentioned in the video, is the act of lingering on or contemplating an experience or thought. The lecturer advises students to learn to stop, reflect, and dwell in order to truly live life and understand oneself, emphasizing the importance of introspection and deep thought in personal growth and self-understanding.

💡Aristotle

Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, is referenced in the video as advocating for the importance of reflection in thriving and prospering in life. His name is used to lend philosophical weight to the argument that reflection is crucial for personal development and a fulfilling life.

Highlights

Introduction to the lecture on the relationship between life and philosophy using Gabriel Marcel's concepts of primary and secondary reflection.

Philosophy's role in constituting life rather than merely explaining it, as quoted from Maurice Blondel.

The analogy of making a baguette to illustrate the experiential aspect of life beyond mere explanation.

Life as a combination of everyday mundane experiences, or 'kotidium, ordinarium', as opposed to clichéd stages and decisions.

Definition and explanation of primary reflection, which involves dissecting an experience to understand its components.

The limitations of primary reflection in capturing the essence of an experience or object.

Introduction to secondary reflection, which attempts to understand the broader context and significance of an experience.

The application of primary and secondary reflection to the question 'Who am I?', highlighting the limitations of categorization.

The realization that categories used to define oneself also apply to others, leading to a deeper existential inquiry.

The concept of 'I' as an object and subject, and the difficulty in capturing the self through categories.

Moments of strong sense of self as experiences that cannot be fully captured or categorized.

The role of relationships with others in the discovery and understanding of one's self.

Existence as an exclamatory awareness, which is heightened through intense experiences with others.

The irony that the 'I' is more aware of its existence in relation to others, as explained by secondary reflection.

The importance of stopping, reflecting, and dwelling in life to truly prosper, as suggested by Mr. Spock and Aristotle.

The conclusion that the 'I' is a mystery, discoverable through a network of relationships over time.

Final thoughts on the necessity of reflection for a thriving life, as emphasized by the lecture's conclusion.

Transcripts

[Music]

good day

and welcome to today's lecture the topic

for today is something your teacher may

have already introduced to you

but i'd like to take it up using gabriel

marcel's primary and secondary

reflection

so the question we're going to answer is

how do we philosophize tagalog

so this is the outline we will follow we

will have a very brief introduction

about the relationship of life and

philosophy and then we go right into

doing philosophy

i'd like to start with a quote from

a french philosopher maurice blondell

and the quote is

philosophy doesn't explain life but

helps constitute it

so obviously there are two very

important concepts here

the first one is explain and the second

one

is constitutes so philosophy does not

explain life

but constitute it what does that mean

let me start with an example

how do you make a baguette

french bread okay

flower yeast eggs and then you knead and

you

let it rise for a long time and then you

bake

a baguette is more than its ingredients

and baking instructions

no matter how much i describe it to you

no matter how i show you pictures

you cannot enjoy savor

what a baguette is a baguette is about

baking it making a lot of mistakes until

finally you get the perfect combination

and most of all a baguette is about

eating it

letting it dwell in your mouth enjoying

the sensation

okay so what did i just do here okay

let's compare it to life what is life we

have all of these cliches you know

ups and downs stages it's about career

religion

making the right decision in these areas

but have we captured life okay

what is life really the truth of the

matter

is life is about our everyday

mundane experiences and like

philosophers who love to

say it in a more profound way they call

it kotidium

ordinarium

in other words as father prayers love to

say it

father failure says his famous

expression lundagenmo baby narada

just live it okay so this is philosophy

this is what it does for you

it helps you live your life okay

but how can it do it we do it by

teaching you

what is famously known as philosophical

reflection

pagnila nilay

how do we philosophize so let me now

give you

mars cells primary and secondary

reflection

so let's define terms what is primary

reflection

primary reflection dissolves the unity

of an experience an event or a thing

in other words for you to find out what

a flower is what do you do with a flower

in primary reflection you break it up

very

so primary reflection however tells you

there are petals whatever and whatever

so primary reflection obviously is not

enough

to capture what makes a flower a flower

so what do you do you do secondary

fraction

secondary reflection not tries to put

together

what you have broken apart so that you

locate

this object this experience within a

bigger

scheme of things you know father johnny

gore wrote a beautiful

song it's called in the greater scheme

of things

and many times that's how we understand

something

by putting it in the greater scheme of

that is not primary reflection that is

secondary reflection

so let's try to do primary reflection on

a question

which every college sophomore

college junior is wrestling with and for

some of us

who am i so let's use ourselves primary

and secondary reflection on this

pesky question that never goes away

so remember i said primary reflection

dissects an experience a thing and so on

and so forth so how do we do this

let's ask the question who am i i'm

sorry i use my picture

okay so instinctively when you ask me

who am i

i would say my name is antonette palmer

angeles i'm bach seven seven per first

batch of coins i have three children

catholic

so i ask you now

the answer is score of course is no

we cannot capture who we are

with these categories singly or even

putting them all together

because in fact and this is the

irony of these categories i try to

enumerate

as many as i can but you can be sure

that any one of those categories

will apply to a million other people

i say i am about 77 there were about 300

of us

i say i'm a koi there were about 100 of

us

i say i'm catholic i don't know i don't

know how many millions there are of us

i say i have three children there are so

many people who have children and then

the other thing is

all of these categories are meaningful

only in relation to other people let me

explain

when i'm saying female your femaleness

is defined only

in other words all of these attempts at

categorizing and putting categories to

who i am

is supposed to be self-referential but

in the end what did you do

you actually were other referential

you define yourself only in relation to

others

and so i tried to establish myself as a

somebody what did i do

i used categories that were supposed to

be unique to me and what did i find out

in the end

i found out that those categories apply

to other people

so okay i realize that

that i am more than those categories

i am more than those categories so

the question is how am i different

okay

who am i beyond these categories and

what can i say

about myself but this is the problem

what's happening here

if you look at your slide you'll see

that what's happening here

is i am looking at myself

i object i subject the word

object means in fro in fact it really

means

what is in front of me

what can i say about this i the subject

this eye subject when i can't go behind

it

i want you to look at some experiences

which many of you probably went through

and this experience is

a boy loves me really loves me

and i have this wonderful feeling

i am on top of the world i love life

everything becomes beautiful because a

boy loves me

and then have you ever been to a family

reunion where you meet

cousins aunts uncles everyone

and you just sit in a corner and you say

why do i have this warm feeling where is

it coming from i feel

so affirmed i'm so happy and then there

are also instances

when after a personal crisis has finally

been resolved

you feel this sense of peace which you

cannot get anywhere else

and then there is this

experience of having disliked a person

immensely

and then one time back inside

again the feeling is not replicable

i call these moments moments of strong

sense of self i

realize who i am during these moments

okay

but i cannot capture these moments i

cannot capture the love

feeling i feel i cannot capture my

warm feeling i cannot capture my feeling

of

peace during those times

i cannot categorize them as father

rocket always says

hindi wedding

i cannot capture them in the way i

capture myself as gender

religion

and so in tagalog it's a beautiful

phrase

that is the time i really feel that

there is an eye that

is out there okay but

this i subject emerges

not in concepts and categories i used to

describe myself

it emerges only in the experiences

only in my relationship with others so

what's the irony here

what does secondary reflection tell us

secondary reflection tells us that only

in relation

do i in fact aware that i exist

the i here being not just the

objective eye but the i that i'm trying

to capture

the dissatisfied eye marcel says

i exist

so that then it becomes very clear

that existence is an exclamatory

awareness

and some experiences are more intense

but this is an exclamatory awareness of

existence made possible

only because of other people but

i cannot go behind these experiences

i cannot capture them in categories not

in any

explanatory way so

let's go back to where we started who am

i

primary reflection dissects an

experience

so what do i do i dissect myself into

speakable

categories which apply to other people

that's what primary reflection does

but what does secondary reflection do

primary reflection if it dissents

secondary reflection

brings you back into a hole that is

bigger than yourself

and what do you realize here you realize

that the i in fact is going to

be discoverable only as

it communes with other people as

intensely as it can

so that the eye is a mystery

to treat the eyes as a problem is a

disservice to the eye

because my sense of eye polaga

so i object i can talk about eye object

but i subject that can only be lived

and discovered in a network of

relationships with other people

over time so my young students

it's very important that if you want to

live life you have to learn

to stop to reflect and to dwell

and as mr spock says

if you reflect this is the only way you

can really prosper

or if we talk about a philosopher

aristotle will say

go and thrive only because you reflect

[Music]

you