Volume 32, Issue No.2 (2015)

Living Faithfully In and With the Secular

Abstract: Is it possible to be consistent in holding both that ‘faith should influence politics,’ and that ‘the secular domain of the political should be free from religious interference’? This paper is addressed to people of religious faith who ask how it is possible that they remain faithful to their own religious tradition and yet endorse the claims of a secular political order. Various models are surveyed with which the attempt is made to combine the two perspectives while respecting the distinctiveness of each. One such model proposed by St. Augustine, the coiner of the term ‘secular,’ relies on his distinction of the two cities, the City of God, and the Earthly City. Brian T. Trainor’s more nuanced interpretation of Augustine shows how a religious accommodation of the secular is enabled by the distinction between the secular domain as oriented to and open to the sacred, and the secular domain when it is opposed to and turned away from the sacred. This proposal is explored for its usefulness, for Muslims as well as Christians, in accepting the positive aspects of autonomous secularity without having to endorse the aspects contrary to a faith commitment.

Keywords: Secular, St. Augustine, religion, citizen, politics, faith

Patrick Riordan, SJ

Heythrop College, University of London, England

The Progression of Capitalism: Marx, Habermas and Honneth

Abstract: The ‘repoliticization’ of economic processes and the emergence of the neoliberal capitalism which imbibes a disorganized and flexible working structure that enables workers to freely choose their own working time and location  are some of the substantial changes in the landscape of capitalism. Given the demand for a paradigm that could provide a penetrating critique of the maladies of contemporary capitalism, this paper traces the evolution of the intellectual history of the critiques of capitalism from Karl Marx to the Frankfurt School represented by JÜrgen Habermas and Axel Honneth. It argues that Honneth’s paradigm for social critique anchored in recognition offers a corrective to Marx’s critique of political economy and to Habermas’ focus on system and lifeworld distinction. It offers a better critique on neoliberal capitalism by providing a normative vocabulary that critically shows how the person is affected by these transformations, even if capitalism has adjusted its means for capital realization.

Keywords: Neoliberal capitalism, Frankfurt School, paradigm, normative, recognition, Habermas, Honneth

Joharel S. Escobia

Father Saturnino Urios University, Philippines

On the Way to Demographic Winter? Trends and Patterns of Elderly Population Using Philippine Census Data

Abstract: The paper endeavors to describe the patterns and trends of elderly population in the Philippines with specific comparison to those occurring in Mindanao and in Region XI.  The distribution of elderly population by urbanrural classification and its other demographic characteristics in Region XI is likewise explored. Data for this paper were derived mainly from the Philippine census count for the years 2000, 2007 and 2010. Census data for the Philippines indicate an increasing percentage of population aged 60 years and over relative to household population, a trend which is also observed in smaller geographic groupings such as Mindanao and Region XI. Further, census data indicate a growing feminization of the elderly population and that the proportion of elderly population is increasingly found in urban areas. The growing proportion of elderly population in the country requires a number of social, institutional and political adjustments particularly in the aspect of healthcare and social security benefits.

Keywords: Elderly population, demographic winter, feminization, sex differentials, fertility rate

Jerome A. Serrano

Ateneo de Davao University, Philippines

Lexical Borrowing:  Threat to Matigsalug Language

Abstract:  Employing qualitative method of analysis, this paper looks into the state of the Matigsalug language in terms of lexical borrowing and its repercussion to the language. Excerpts from the epic Tulalang and sample sentences from The grammar of Matigsalug-Manobo form the corpora of the study. Verses from the epic were juxtaposed with sample sentences from the grammar book to see how its lexicon has changed over time. Sample sentences were also examined to look for borrowed words currently used by the community. The analysis shows that heavy lexical borrowing takes place in this community. It is feared that their gradual shift to Cebuano in language contact situations might cause language loss. It appears that their language choice on a daily basis has detrimental effects on their future as a people.

Keywords: Matigsalug, lexical borrowing, language, culture, minority, grammar

Cheryl Pondevida–Baldric

Ateneo de Davao University, Philippines

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Philippines

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