SS 122: Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal

Philosophies of Rizal

Educational Philosophy

• Rizal always considered education as medicine or something that could cure the societal
illnesses of the Colonial Philippines.
o He asserted that reform cannot be achieved if there is no suitable education, a
liberal one available to Filipinos.
• In his letters to Alfredo Hidalgo, he said "Life is a very serious thing and only those with
intelligence and heart go through it worthily."
o On the battlefield man has no better weapon than his intelligence.
• His concept of importance of education was enunciated in his work entitled Instruction
wherein he sought improvements in the schools and the methods of teaching.
• The mission of education is to elevate the country to the highest seat of glory and to
develop the people's mentality.
• Rizal always considered education as medicine or something that could cure the societal
illnesses of the Colonial Philippines.
• He asserted that reform cannot be achieved if there is no suitable education, a liberal
one available to Filipinos.
• In his letters to Alfredo Hidalgo, he said "Life is a very serious thing and only those with
intelligence and heart go through it worthily."
• On the battlefield man has no better weapon than his intelligence.
• His concept of importance of education was enunciated in his work entitled Instruction
wherein he sought improvements in the schools and the methods of teaching.
• The mission of education is to elevate the country to the highest seat of glory and to
develop the people's mentality.

Religious Philosophy

• Rizal developed a philosophy contrary to the Catholic practices and ideals that were
rooted in the actual condition of his society.
• He did not agree with the prevailing Christian propagation of the faith y fire and sword.
• Rizal did not believe in the Catholic dogma that salvation was only for the Catholics and
that outside Christianity, salvation was not possible even if Catholics composed only a
small minority of the world's religious groups.
• GOD: Rizal believed in God.
• JESUS CHRIST: Rizal did not believe that Jesus Christ was God.
• RELIGION: Rizal believed in religion.
• REVELATION: He believe in the living revelation of Nature that surrounds everywhere.
• CATHOLICISM: Rizal espoused Christianity but rejected the Catholic Church's claims of
infallibility.
• HEAVEN: Rizal wrote in his poem Mi Ultimo Adios - "For I go where no slave before the
oppressor bends, where faith can never kill, and God reigns everywhere."
• HELL and PURGATORY: Rizal believed that these were invented for the exploitation of
people.

Ethical Philosophy

• Rizal recognize not only the forces of good and evil but also the tendencies towards good
and evil.
• He made use of the practical method appealing to the better nature of the conquerors and
of offering useful methods of solving the morals problems of the conquered.
• To support his ethical philosophy in life, Rizal:
o censured the friars for abusing the advantage of their positions
o counseled the Filipinos not to resent a defect
o advised the masses that marriage was the happiness and love of the couple
o censured the priests who preached greed and wrong morality; and,
o advised everyone that love and respect for parents

Political Philosophy
 • In his political view, a conquered country like the Philippines should be developed,
civilized, educated and trained in the science of self-government.
• In his essay "The Philippines: A Century Hence," contains predictions on the possible
future of the Philippines within a hundred years:
o that the Philippines would stay a Spanish colony provided its citizens receive not
only the rights and privileges of citizens of the Spanish crown but also the inherent
rights of a human being;
o the Philippines will eventually rise in revolt against Spain if continuously exploited
and abused;
o the Philippines may be conquered by other nations after Spains's presences in the
country is extinguished.
• Rizal's words subtly expressed that he desired reform over premature revolution.
• It is also important to realize that the propagandists saw reform and assimilation only as
the first step to the eventual separation from Spain, the independence of the Philippines.
Reform was a means to freedom, not the destination.
• Basic Political Reforms:
o Restoration of Filipino restoration to the Spanish Cortes and the freedom of press
o Reorganization of the administrative machinery
o Adoption of comprehensive examination and the publication of its results, and
allowing Filipinos to have the same opportunity with the Spanisrds to hold
government office
o Justice is the foundation of society and the government
• Rizal's guiding philosophy proved to be the study and application of reforms, the extension
of human rights, the training for self-government, and the arousing of the spirit of
discontent.

Social Philosophy

• This social philosophy of Rizal covers the problems of the whole race, with every problem
having a distinct solution to bolster the people's social knowledge.
• Rizal's social philosophy dealt with:
o man is society; influential factors in human life; racial problems; social constant;
social justice; social ideal; poverty and wealth; reforms; youth and greatness;
history and progress; and, the future Philippines
• This social philosophy of Rizal dealt with man's evolution and his environment.

Rizal’s Role in Nation Building

Rizal’s Blueprint of Nation Building

• Rizal aimed at the restoration of his people's dignity, the recognition of their human rights
and for the Filipinos to have an equal representation in the government.
• He gained a better perspective of his country's problems as he saw his country suffered
from the abuses, maligned by the vices of the Spaniards and the Filipinos alike, helpless
with their oppressed unhappy and indolent people.
• He understood that the prolonged subjugation of the Filipinos was caused primarily by two
factors: (1) the absence of national consciousness, and (2) the poor training and education
of the people.
• Rizal's lifetime plan emerged into a reality of direction and dedicated leadership.
• Rizal conceived an idealism of dedication and intrepidity for the betterment of the
Philippine society.
• Hence his blueprint for nation building includes the (1) importance of education, (2)
instilling racial pride and dignity among the people, (3) the promotion of national
consciousness, (4) the re-orientation of values and attitudes, and (5) the willingness to
sacrifice for the country.

Rizal’s Noble Mission

• Rizal remembered the Filipinos who were brutalized by their masters and desribed his
mission came to being to his letter to Mariano Ponce and companions on April 18, 1889
as Rizal's correspondence with his fellow Reformists.
• He stated to his former mentor at Ateneo - Father Francisco Paula de Sanchez, "my
mission is to make men worthy..."
 • "... My imagination was awakened and I swore to devote myself to avange one day so many
victims, and with this idea in mind I have been studing and this can be read in all my works
and writings..." Rizal wrote to Mariano Ponce and to their companions in La Solidaridad,
18 April 1889
• Asuncion Bantug, Rizal's grandniece, in her article in The Saturday Herald entitled The
Novel that Shook a Nation, she discussed her grand-uncle's miaaion stating "God not made
anything useless in this world, as all beings fulfill a role in this sublime drama of creation,
I, too, have a mission to fill as for example: alleviating the suffering of my people."

Rizal’s Early Experiences and the Nascence of his Mission

• Rizal saw unbridled force and violence committed by those supposed to be in charge of
maintaining public peace and order in town.
• Social injustices were prevalent during Rizal's time as he had firsthand experiences of it.

Rizal Awakens the National Consciousness

• Rizal was aware that a regenerated individual would easily understand and feel love of
country.
• Rizal intended to awaken the Filipino's passion in the quest of national dignity through his
writings.
• For Rizal, love of country is the national ideal.
• The sincerity of Rizal's love of country became the crowning glory of his patriotism which
had influenced many patriots after him.

Education as the Instrument for Social Progress

• For Rizal, education stands as the foundation of society and the cure of societal ills.
• He pleaded the government authorities to take necessary steps to improve the quality of
education of the Filipinos and laid down feasible arguments in favor of the Filipino's dire
need for education.
• Rizal opened the mind of the Spanish authorities about the posssible outcome that may
arise from denying the people the benefits of education.
• Rizal saw the importance of education bringing social progress in the Philippines.

The People’s Welfare is the concern of the Government

• Rizal argued that the promotion of people's welfare must be the main function of any
government, including the government of colonies.
• Social justice must be upheld in the society regardless of race, education, and family
background.
• Rizal's observations on how Spain govern the Philippines:
o the colonizing country must know her colony;
o the status of the Philippines under Spain's colonial system of administration;
o it revolves around the use of prudence;
o ruler's lack of concern for the governed;
o the policy of the government must be sincere and consistent to keep the loyalty of
a country;
o he foresaw how social progress was possible if there was cooperation between the
people and the government; and,
o government must keep the lines of communication open if they need the support
of the people
• Rizal's nationalistic mission was through more reforms and not total independence.
• Rizal's reforms for the Philippines were the following:
o secularization of the parishes and distributing the curacies;
o reform in all branches of the administration;
o encouragement of primary education and removing friar intervention in it;
o higher salaries for deserving;
o opportunity for appointment to the government;
o improvement of the moral tone of the administration; and,
o creation for schools of arts and trade in provincial capital of more than 16 000
people
o freedom of religion
The Ultimate Means at Nation-Building is National Unity

• Rizal viewed the refusal of any individual in fighting injustice as a form of social evil.
• In the colonial Philippines, there was individual progress and not national progress.
• Rizal never lost faith in the capacity of his people to work together despite these
observations.

Writings of Jose Rizal

Poems

• Sa Aking Mga Kababata - This was a nationalistic artwork promoting the use of Tagalog
(Filipino) language by the Filipino people. This was traditionally believed to be the national
hero's first written Tagalog poem at the age of eight and was said to have been published
posthumously many years after Rizal's death.

• Mi Primera Inspiracion - This poem was written in honor of his mother's birthday as
suggested by the terms "perfume of the flowers," "the songs of the birds," "feast your day
of bloom," and "festive day." Jose Rizal's poetic verses shows his eternal love and
appreciation for his mother. This was somewhat his way of paying tribute to all the efforts
for him of her dear mother.

• Por La Educacion Recibe Lustre La Patria - In this poem, he had expressed high regards
for education. He believed in the significant role of education plays in the progress and
welfare of a nation as evident in this poem.

• To Josephine - This poem is dedicated to Josephine Bracken. Rizal wrote and gave this
letter to Josephine when she temporarily left Dapitan to accompany Taufer to Manila - this
short poem manifested that he was really smitten with Josephine.

• Mi Ultimo Adios - Widely regarded as the most patriotic poem in the world, it has been
translated into at least 38 languages. The poem reflects the hero's adoration and patriotism
of his country. The poem request Filipinos to pray for others who also have died and
suffered for the country. It begged the Filipino people never to lose hope and faith in the
Lord God. Forceful worlds were used to inspire them not to be discouraged by the
oppressions of the Spaniards.

Essays

• To The Young Women of Malolos - To the young woman of Malolos is an essay written by
Jose Rizal while he was in London upon the request of Marcelo H. Del Pilar. The yellow
roses symbolist a love, purity and peace to the woman of Malolos. They also show
education is important to each person and all Filipinos have a hidden talent and ability to
raise the living.
• Rizal pays homage to 20 women of Malolos who desire to educate themselves. In
this way, Rizal sees in these women ray of hope in restoring the Filipino woman’s
dignity and worth. He emphasizes in this essay the importance of Filipino mothers.
Rizal refers to different women in society; mothers, daughters, wives and even the
unmarried ones. Mothers’ responsibility according to Rizal: Whatever the mother
shows to her children is what the children will also become.

• The Indolence of the Filipinos (Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos) - The Indolence of
Filipino was an essay written by Dr. Jose Rizal when he’s in Paris. Published in La
Solidaridad in 5 installments, July 15 to September 15, 1890. This is to explain the alleged
idlenessof his people during the Spanish colonization.
• The Indolence of the Filipinos, “the Filipino’s inclination to live off the labor of
others”. According to the essay of Dr. Jose Rizal before the colonization of
Spaniards in the Philippines, Filipinos were industrious and hardworking but later
on turned out to be indolent due to the influences during the Spanish regime that
brought about a decline in economic activities attributed to a number of reasons:
▪ Filipinos did not work because of the hot climate.
▪ The Spaniards cut off all of connections of the establishment of the
Galleon Trade and the business only the Spain and Mexico was
associated.
 ▪ Filipinos were obliged to undertake forced labor.
▪ The Filipinos wanted to live an conventional life.
▪ The education was a corrupt system.
▪ The Spanish ruler set as an bad example to despise manual labor.
▪ Gambling was established and widely spread which made Filipinos lazier.
▪ Spanish friars have taught Filipinos the wrong system of religion.
• The indolence was attributed to the reasons stated above because the Spanish
wanted to achieve a good life without hardships and work and Filipinos wanted to
become one of them.

• The Philippines a Century Hence (Filipinas dentro de cien anos) - A socio-political essay
wrote by Jose Rizal was one of the most significant political works of the Filipino Reform
movement in Spain. This essay was published by the La Solidaridad, of Madrid, running
through the issues from September, 1889, to January, 1890, started by analyzing the
various causes of the miseries suffered by the Filipino people.
• Rizal’s projections in his essay came true. In 1898, the Americans wrestled with
Spain to win the Philippines, and eventually took over the country. There was a
reign of democracy and liberty. Five decades after Rizal’s death, the Philippines
gained her long-awaited independence.
• Before the Spanish pre colonization in the Philippines to spread Christianize,
Filipino people are pure natives and Muslims. They have their own government
that consist of Barangays and led by Datu’s, Raja, etc. They trade to near
countries like China and they also have their own culture, songs, poems,
language,traditions, writings, laws and beliefs.
• When Spanish came, Filipinos abandoned and forgot their own beliefs and
culture. They were greatly influenced by the foreign cultures and traditions that
they did not even understand. In the adaptation of other’s tradition, Spaniards
insulted the Filipinos.

Novels

Noli Me Tangere

• Jose Rizal’s fame started in 1897 when his book Noli Me Tangere was published. The
novel outlined a new form of Philippine nationalism and influenced a new generation of
revolutionaries.
• The title of Rizal’s book Noli Me Tangere means ‘Touch Me Not’ is a Latin version of
words spoken by Jesus to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection from John 20:13-17. It
was first written in Spain and was published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany. The English
translation was originally titled The Social Cancer.
• It explores perceived inequities in law and practice in terms of the treatment by the ruling
government and the Spanish Catholic friars of the resident peoples in the late-19th
century.
• The plot revolves around Crisostomo Ibarra, mixed-race heir of a wealthy clan, returning
home after seven years in Europe and filled with ideas on how to better the lot of his
countrymen.
• Noli Me Tangere is translated as “The Social Cancer” as Rizal pointed out that the
sufferings of the natives is a cancer of so malignant that the least touch irritates and
awakens in its sharpest pains, just like awakening the consciousness of the natives to fight
for themselves and for the country.
• The novel started when Crisostomo Ibarra came back to San Diego after years of staying
in Europe. He came back with a purpose to build a school for the townpeople of San Diego.
• Ibarra unravels the problems of San Diego including the issue of his father’s, Rafael Ibarra,
death.
• In the last chapter of Noli, Ibarra escaped death with Elias’ help and death. Maria Clara
went to the nunnery when she knew Ibarra’s death. Basilio buried Elias and Sisa in the
forest.

El Filibusterismo

• Before Rizal left for Europe, he had to edit and publish El Filibusterismo, the last chapters
of which were finished in Biarritz. In his next novel, El Filibusterismo, published in 1891,
Rizal continued to argue for reform. Rizal argues that the young are aware of the need to
 take political action and pursue social justice. Rizal said, the young people create a
sense of reform.
• El Filibusterismo is a book about revolution. The failure and death of Simoun, the main
character, of the novel points out the danger of taking an alternative based on hate and
vengeance.
• The novel centers on the Noli-El fili duology's main character Crisóstomo Ibarra, now
returning for vengeance as "Simoun". The novel's dark theme departs dramatically from
the previous novel's hopeful and romantic atmosphere, signifying Ibarra's resort to
solving his country's issues through violent means, after his previous attempt in
reforming the country's system made no effect and seemed impossible with the corrupt
attitude of the Spaniards toward the Filipinos.
• Simoun return to the Philippines with the purpose of subversion to the Spanish regime.
• Even though, Simoun planned to incite a revolution against the Spanish government –
his biggest obstacles were the young intellectuals who dedicated a program of reforms
leading to the assimilation of the Filipinos.
• Kabesang Tales story has a profound symbolism of Rizal as the question of ‘evolution or
revolution’ and the problem of whether to wait for justice by the hands of the Spaniards
or to take the law in one's own hands are interspersed in the book.
• The novel concluded when Simoun in Father Florentino’s refuge. Father Florentino took
Simoun’s treasure chest and threw it into the sea, “where it will not do evil, thwart justice
or incite greed.”

Just study the characters of Crisostomo Ibarra, Maria Clara, Sisa, Simoun, Basilio, Kabesang Tales and Isagani. Three of them will be asked in the exam.