CUETO, JESSICA Z.

MAY 18, 2020

BS ARCHITECTURE PHP (MWF 11-12NN)

REFLECTION ABOUT MODERN PHILOSOPHY: Man and Reason

The era of modern philosophy I think makes a big difference and impact to the society because it
gives emphasis on knowledge, self-discovery and self-rule of a person. Rene Descartes, father of Modern
Philosophy, stated that Knowledge in ancient and medieval is pathetic and dogmatic being dictated by
notable Philosophers, and for me his philosophy sent a message of empowerment and became an eye-
opener to the society. With that, I would like to point out some remarks from this chapter.

First is the idea of “Cogito ergo sum”, which basically means if a modern man is a thinking being. I
commend the phrase given by the book which is “Dreaming is a sign of existence”. For me, dreaming gives
a person motivation to do better every single day he or she lives, it becomes a reason to keep moving
forward whatever circumstances may come, therefore dreaming is indeed a sign of existence of a person.

Second is how modern philosophy era gave an emphasis on the importance of education. It is said
that a modern man is measured according not to his strength and physical capacity but on the level of his
mind and his educational achievement. The moment I have read that phrase, I remembered back in my
high school subject that my teacher has this daily routine of sharing knowledge before class called, “Food
for thought”. He said that education does not only within the four walls of the classroom and what is being
told by the syllabus but also about sharing something you have learned and experienced, and because of
this he has been notable to all of his students. He also said that it is important to feed the mind of
information every single day because we never know that someday it will help you and we should always
remember that a healthy mind also requires a healthy body so one must really take care of himself.

Third is I also commend the philosophy of John Locke and Immanuel Kant, even though some of it
contradicts the philosophy of Descartes. Like what Locke said, that knowledge is not only based on what he
was thought but knowledge is also acquired through experience. One example of it is the degree I am
taking, Architecture. When I began my internship last semester, it made me realize that there are a lot of
things I have learned from the actual construction site were not taught in school. In fact, I have learned a lot
of them from the construction workers specifically about the technical words and processes because they
have more experience in the actual field than those who have degrees. The thought that saddens me the
CUETO, JESSICA Z. MAY 18, 2020
BS ARCHITECTURE PHP (MWF 11-12NN)
most is when in some cases they were took advantage, under paid, and mistreated just because of “wala
silang pinag-aralan”.

Lastly, is about the Locke’s idea of human nature, and what the government plays a role in the
society. Indeed, the will of people stands higher than any form of government. In which this portion from the
topic is very timely nowadays, “Ano ba ang naambag mo?” is one of the the famous line for some online
trolls to citizens who just criticized the lack of action of the government in this pandemic, not because a
person sees something wrong in the system doesn’t mean he also has to do something, paying taxes is a
big contribution to the society, and taxes runs the economy so they have no rights to said that. I am
disappointed how some of the chose to be blinded by the pieces of money that they earn from spreading
fake news without knowing that it is us Filipinos and our rights and properties (islands) were at risk. That is
why the process of educating the youth is indeed cautious. It is really important to educate them properly
because without proper guidance especially nowadays that everything is in the internet, their mind can be
easily corrupted and misguided.