Philosophers in the Real World
By Dr. Romulo Bautista
No theory of social ethics can
operate in a vacuum in the real world. Every abstract theory has to be always verified
and/or practiced in concrete situations in the real world. Likewise, we could not pursue a philosophical vision,
mission, and goal in a vacuum beyond the classroom, but always in given
situations in the real world. What some teachers do inside the pedagogically do not matter if untested in the real world. The problem, in fact, is thr egocentric attitude of some who use their students to experiment on teaching methodologies that have nothing to do with true learning.
I would like to use an analogy. An economics graduate who
works as bus driver is not an economist in the true sense of the word; a
political science graduate who works as artist in an advertising firm is not a
political scientist in the true sense of the word. Likewise, a social ethicist
or a member of Social Ethics Society who works as a community organizer is not
a philosopher in the true sense of the word. A community organizer as such has
a different objective from that of a philosopher.
The mission of philosophy
graduates and philosophy teachers is to get themselves involved as philosopher, repeat
as philosopher, with the ethical and moral dimensions of the social
problems and issues in the real world. Whatever persons intend to do in the real world, should be treated as
vehicles of measuring the rightness of the moral conducts of people in a
particular field of work. What we must seek is to
create an ethical environment of honesty for everyone in the community.
