Time Traveler: On Critical Theory in the Philippines Part II (A Philosophical Fiction)

Abstract

r. Max Felix Silva, dean of the Graduate School of Philosophy and the senior students’ professor of critical theory, was still engrossed in discursively analyzing the transcripts of the peace negotiations between the government panel and the representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He was trying to show his students the practical use of the German sociologist and philosopher Jurgen Habermas’ doctrine that in order to attain optimum results in a dialogue the participants should only use statements and actuations that are truthful, sincere and appropriate all of the time. “Okay, class. You can be truthful but insincere, or you can be truthful and sincere but in an inappropriate way, or you can be appropriate and sincere but not truthful. The point of Habermas is simple: failing in just one of these triple criteria can already jeopardize the outcome of any consensus building. Ako ba ay nasusundan n’yo pa?” Half of Charles’ mind was focused on this rather jovial professor, but a quarter of it was already restlessly going over the things he still had to do before rushing to his night job at Makati City, while the remaining quarter was absorbed in an existential meditative appreciation of the beauty and sexual attractiveness of Anne, his pretty classmate who was seated in front of him. Ang ganda talaga nitong Anne na ‘to! Alam kong totoong pag-ibig ‘tong nararamdaman ko; at kung sasabihin ko man sa kanya ‘to, palagay ko ay sincere naman siguro ako; problema ko na lang kung paano ko sasabihin ‘yon in an appropriate manner! Habermas was one of the younger thinkers of the Frankfurt School, and Charles had been too familiar with his thoughts due to Sir Peter’s long standing fascination and intellectual affair with this Jewish-German group. Hence, he could easily follow Dr. Silva’s lecture even if his eyes were totally focused on Anne’s dangerous curves. Charles Mendoza first came to that microcosm that thrived on Recto Street some four years ago, all the way from his historic town of Malolos, in the province of Bulacan. Burdened with an obligation to add one more link to the chain of Mendoza lawyers that is already five generations old, he was beaconed to this area by the prestigious reputation of one of its law schools, the one that is situated near the ominous shadows of Malacanang. His original intention was to take up political science as a preparation for law, but it turned