Comfort in uncertainty: An existential view on bahala na

Date of Publication

5-15-2025

Document Type

Bachelor's Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts Major in Philosophy

Subject Categories

Philosophy

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Philosophy

Abstract/Summary

This paper contributes on Aguas' ideas on kapwa and Marcel's philosophy by integrating the Filipino value of bahala na. While Aguas has explored the alignment of kapwa with Marcel’s notions of creative fidelity and disponibilité, his analysis can be extended to account for how bahala na, which is seen as either fatalistic or as an act of gathering courage is understood as it is transformed from a cultural habit into a constitutive element of Marcelian hope. Marcel's hope is not a desire for an outcome (hoping that) but rather a hope placed within someone that is built on being present and engaging towards the other (hoping in). Similarly, when bahala na is taken alongside kapwa, it ceases to be an act of fatalism or bold courage as it becomes a response in uncertainty that is relational. Understanding bahala na in the context of kapwa through Marcel could provide insights on how the Filipino could potentially navigate the uncertain future as a collective agency. This is argued for by proving that the fatalism and courage views on bahala na is individualistic and leads to Marcelian despair and then presenting the view that kapwa makes bahala na constitutive of Marcelian hope through the examples of the struggling parent and the communal post-disaster recovery efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. By situating bahala na within the relational kapwa and Marcelian hope, the paper offers an alternative interpretation of the bahala na cultural value that is consistent with the known Filipino values.

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Format

Electronic

Keywords

Philosophy, Philippine; Intersubjectivity

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5-15-2025

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