Jose Rizal’s Philosophies in Life
By: Sheena Marie A. Yco
Dr. Jose Rizal has 5 philosophies in life, the Educational philosophy, religious philosophy, political philosophy, ethical philosophy and social philosophy. Upon reading all these, I had to say that the way he constructed it, he relies on upon what he had encountered in life. Let’s all analyze each philosophies to understand more what our national hero is trying to tell us.
Educational philosophy
“Rizal’s concept of the importance of education is clearly enunciated in his work entitled Instruction. For Rizal, the mission of education is to elevate the country to the highest seat of glory and to develop the people’s mentality. Since education is the foundation of society and a prerequisite for social progress, Rizal claimed that only through education could the country be saved from domination. Rizal’s philosophy of education, therefore, centers on the provision of proper motivation in order to bolster the great social forces that make education a success, to create in the youth an innate desire to cultivate his intelligence and give him life eternal. “
Sheena says: Rizal would like to tell us that education is important in the development of a nation and its people. In his philosophy, he gave us motivation in order for us to pursue our education. It is essential that the Filipino especially the youth to have their education not just only by attending school but also by learning in our everyday life, as Rizal say’s, “ANG KABATAAN ANG PAGASA NG BAYAN”. I realized that education is not by just having a degree, it is on how I will be able to share it to people and on how will I able to use it to stand up for my beliefs and country just like our national hero did.
Religious Philosophy
“Rizal grew up nurtured by a closely-knit Catholic family, was educated in the foremost Catholic schools of the period in the elementary, secondary and college levels; logically, therefore, he should have been a propagator of strictly Catholic traditions. However, in later life, he developed a life philosophy of a different nature, a philosophy of a different Catholic practice intermingled with the use of Truth and Reason.”
“Rizal did not agree with the prevailing Christian propagation of the Faith by fire and sword”
“Rizal did not believe in the Catholic dogma that salvation was only for Catholics and that outside Christianity, salvation was not possible even if Catholics composed only a small minority of the world’s religious groups. Nor did he believe in the Catholic observation of fasting as a sacrifice, nor in the sale of such religious items as the cross, medals, rosaries and the like in order to propagate the Faith and raise church funds. He also lambasted the superstitious beliefs propagated by the priests in the church and in the schools. All of these and a lot more are evidences of Rizal’s religious philosophy.”
Sheena says: Based on my understanding about Rizal’s religious philosophy, He is not against the catholic preaching or the Catholic Church itself. He has his own understanding and interpretation about the catholic teachings. He didn’t patronize the things like crosses and other religious stuffs since for him, that won’t measure his faith in God and that is not right in order to raise church funds. No matter what his beliefs, I salute him for that he didn’t lose his humility and faith to God.
Political philosophy
“In Rizal’s political view, a conquered country like the Philippines should not be taken advantage of but rather should be developed, civilized, educated and trained in the science of self-government.”
Sheena says: Rizal fought for our country even though his life was in danger. He shouted for the independence for our country and for his fellowmen. He didn’t do that just because he wanted to be known or to have a power but rather to give justice for the Filipinos that have been suffering from the way that the Spaniards managed our country way back. He wanted to show and prove that we must be selfless and love our country because that would be the greatest thing that we could do to stand for what is right, for what our country deserves and for what we deserves as a Filipino.
Ethical philosophy
“The study of human behavior as to whether it is good or bad or whether it is right or wrong is that science upon which Rizal’s ethical philosophy was based.“
Sheena says: Rizal has been observing the morals of the people because he knows that Filipinos undergone a lot of sufferings from Spaniards that led them to something that aren’t good anymore. He has this mentality that no matter what we are facing right now, it might be good or bad, let us always choose to be good and do good.
Social philosophy
“Rizal’s social philosophy dealt with man in 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 future Philippines.”
Sheena says: Basing on these methods of insight of Dr. Jose Rizal, I can say that Rizal is a very sympathetic. He wanted to make Philippines as free as it can be. This social philosophy of him shows that Rizal was not a self-centered person. All of his agenda was dedicated not to himself but rather to the Filipinos and to our beloved country. He knows that we all have the right to stand for what we believe in; that we don’t need to be scared of fighting for what is right. That in all aspects of our lives, nothing will be permanent and perfect. We have to do what ever it takes to protect our country. He also wanted us to be observant just like him that’s why he listed all the possible problems that he encountered during his time and might we encounter in the present. I wanted to end up distinctly a beneficial individual in various parts of life.
Educational philosophy
“Rizal’s concept of the importance of education is clearly enunciated in his work entitled Instruction. For Rizal, the mission of education is to elevate the country to the highest seat of glory and to develop the people’s mentality. Since education is the foundation of society and a prerequisite for social progress, Rizal claimed that only through education could the country be saved from domination. Rizal’s philosophy of education, therefore, centers on the provision of proper motivation in order to bolster the great social forces that make education a success, to create in the youth an innate desire to cultivate his intelligence and give him life eternal. “
Sheena says: Rizal would like to tell us that education is important in the development of a nation and its people. In his philosophy, he gave us motivation in order for us to pursue our education. It is essential that the Filipino especially the youth to have their education not just only by attending school but also by learning in our everyday life, as Rizal say’s, “ANG KABATAAN ANG PAGASA NG BAYAN”. I realized that education is not by just having a degree, it is on how I will be able to share it to people and on how will I able to use it to stand up for my beliefs and country just like our national hero did.
Religious Philosophy
“Rizal grew up nurtured by a closely-knit Catholic family, was educated in the foremost Catholic schools of the period in the elementary, secondary and college levels; logically, therefore, he should have been a propagator of strictly Catholic traditions. However, in later life, he developed a life philosophy of a different nature, a philosophy of a different Catholic practice intermingled with the use of Truth and Reason.”
“Rizal did not agree with the prevailing Christian propagation of the Faith by fire and sword”
“Rizal did not believe in the Catholic dogma that salvation was only for Catholics and that outside Christianity, salvation was not possible even if Catholics composed only a small minority of the world’s religious groups. Nor did he believe in the Catholic observation of fasting as a sacrifice, nor in the sale of such religious items as the cross, medals, rosaries and the like in order to propagate the Faith and raise church funds. He also lambasted the superstitious beliefs propagated by the priests in the church and in the schools. All of these and a lot more are evidences of Rizal’s religious philosophy.”
Sheena says: Based on my understanding about Rizal’s religious philosophy, He is not against the catholic preaching or the Catholic Church itself. He has his own understanding and interpretation about the catholic teachings. He didn’t patronize the things like crosses and other religious stuffs since for him, that won’t measure his faith in God and that is not right in order to raise church funds. No matter what his beliefs, I salute him for that he didn’t lose his humility and faith to God.
Political philosophy
“In Rizal’s political view, a conquered country like the Philippines should not be taken advantage of but rather should be developed, civilized, educated and trained in the science of self-government.”
Sheena says: Rizal fought for our country even though his life was in danger. He shouted for the independence for our country and for his fellowmen. He didn’t do that just because he wanted to be known or to have a power but rather to give justice for the Filipinos that have been suffering from the way that the Spaniards managed our country way back. He wanted to show and prove that we must be selfless and love our country because that would be the greatest thing that we could do to stand for what is right, for what our country deserves and for what we deserves as a Filipino.
Ethical philosophy
“The study of human behavior as to whether it is good or bad or whether it is right or wrong is that science upon which Rizal’s ethical philosophy was based.“
Sheena says: Rizal has been observing the morals of the people because he knows that Filipinos undergone a lot of sufferings from Spaniards that led them to something that aren’t good anymore. He has this mentality that no matter what we are facing right now, it might be good or bad, let us always choose to be good and do good.
Social philosophy
“Rizal’s social philosophy dealt with man in 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 future Philippines.”
Sheena says: Basing on these methods of insight of Dr. Jose Rizal, I can say that Rizal is a very sympathetic. He wanted to make Philippines as free as it can be. This social philosophy of him shows that Rizal was not a self-centered person. All of his agenda was dedicated not to himself but rather to the Filipinos and to our beloved country. He knows that we all have the right to stand for what we believe in; that we don’t need to be scared of fighting for what is right. That in all aspects of our lives, nothing will be permanent and perfect. We have to do what ever it takes to protect our country. He also wanted us to be observant just like him that’s why he listed all the possible problems that he encountered during his time and might we encounter in the present. I wanted to end up distinctly a beneficial individual in various parts of life.