Nussbaum about Sentience: A Philosophical Reflection during the Pandemic toward Indigenous Societal Aid as an Imaginative Act

Abstract

Using Martha Nussbaum’s Upheavals of Thought, I argue that ethical and political systems are only good if they are alive in human ways. These systems have valuations and are cultivated in the ways of the people, surfacing out in times of crises. This demonstrates that emotion and imaginative abilities enhanced by the humanities and the arts play important roles in ethical decision-making and public undertakings.

The first section is intentionally written from a personal standpoint through a thought experiment to ground the reality that, indeed, ethical decisions can never be devoid of emotional considerations. It is supported by another experience situated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows Nussbaum’s literary technique, showing that “emotions and reason are inextricably linked in an inescapable logic.” Then, in the second section, the analysis is extended to the national crisis that was caused by the same pandemic. I discuss here the importance of imagination, which is usually stimulated in the humanities and the arts. Consequently, to acquire or to be deficient in imaginative abilities would determine the response of those on political platforms in times of dire need and desperate conditions of their people. I end briefly with a particular imaginative act, the establishment of community pantries, as an embodiment of Filipino sentience through the national concept of bayanihan. This serves as a challenge to imaginatively build on indigenous concepts as the Philippine society battles against every crisis.