Santos, Ian Paolo N.

2020-2020220
Certification in Professional Education
UP College of Education

Philosophy of Education - EDFD 241

Western vs. Eastern Philosophy

Humans should know what is good in order for them to do good. The concept of goodness
must be innate to them in order for them to pursue it. This, for me, is the basic principle of both
Western and Eastern philosophies. What sets the difference is the perspective of what is
good. This, I think, is ruled by ethics and each side of the world have different cultures,
traditions and way of life. This is where the differences of each philosophy begin. Western
philosophy practices the idea of ‘individualism’ and making decisions that would benefit
oneself instead of the community, for they believe that each and every part of the community
should be recognized as their own entities and that they have their own value. They also have
an argumentative nature to seek information and truth. On the other hand, Eastern philosophy
practices the concept of unity and ‘collectivism’ which concentrates in helping all the members
of the community instead of oneself. Unlike the Western philosophy, it focuses on a
community as whole and recognizes all the members as equals. Both philosophies have the
same basic principle, with different perspective, culture and tradition.

Although they are both equal, it is unfortunate that one of them rises higher than the other -
the Western philosophy. Perhaps the reason of this recognition is the fact that there are more
technological advances in the West which make their knowledge and ideas documented and
be spread all around the world. Let’s face it, western countries want to be the best. They best
each other to prove how great they are. It only shows how they embody the idea of
individualism and be translated into their actions. Meanwhile, the eastern countries enrich
their culture and sensibilities within themselves as one collective group. Social norms are
backboned by their traditions (e.g., Caste system, close family ties, serving food for the gods,
etc.).

One example of this is the Miss Universe pageant. This pageant celebrates women, who are
representing their countries, with different advocacies but has one goal, to change the world.
If we are going to look a little closer, this pageant, or pageantry per se, revolves in a western
idea. Two of the main categories of the pageant are the ‘long gown’ and the much awaited
‘question and answer’. Long gown, by tradition, is only worn by western countries in
celebrations, galas, and such. What about the national costume? The national costume
category happens during the preliminaries of the pageant, not on the event itself. It is ironic
that each candidate in the pageant wears a sash with the name of her country, but not
showcasing her country’s rich culture. These sashes are just labels, not a symbol of a
community, but labels. Now going to the question and answer portion. If you will observe the
answers of the candidates, you can see the different philosophical stands between a western
and an eastern candidate. Here’s a question asked during the Miss Universe 2018: “What is
the most important lesson you’ve learned in your life, and how would you apply it to your time
as Miss Universe?” Sthefany Gutierrez (Venezuela) answered, “I grew up in a family filled with
women and each one of them taught me something very important. But what I always
remember[ed is] that by working hard and chasing [for] our dreams, we can achieve anything
we want in this lifetime.” On the other hand, this is how Catriona Gray (Miss Universe 2018-
Philippines) answered the same question: “I worked a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila. And
the life there-it’s poor, and it’s very sad. And I’ve always taught myself to look for the beauty
in it. To look in the beauty in the faces of the children, and to be grateful. And I would bring
this aspect as a Miss Universe to see situations with a silver lining, and to assess where I
could provide something, as a spokesperson. And if I could teach also people to be grateful,
we could have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children
would have a smile on their faces.”

Both women have been asked the same question, but had different points of view. This is an
example of the difference between western and eastern philosophies.