PHILOSOPHY, like literature and music, is the fruit of the flowering of civilization and culture. As significant as monuments but definitely more alive than artifacts and antiquities, philosophy signals the evolution of the reflective spirit.

It is a universal phenomenon. It is as ancient as the Vedas and the Upanishads in India, Kong-zi and Lao-zi in China, as well as the musings of the Pre-Socratics in the West. The question has often been asked whether there is a Filipino philosophy. If by 'philosophy,' we mean a global, enveloping, comprehensive perspective on life, yes, of course there is such a lived perspective. It is existential.