Scientia - The International Journal on the Liberal Arts

Florentino Hornedo’s Vision for Filipino Philosophy: Discovering the Political in Loving and Cultural Valuation

Nathanael V. Navarro — 2026-03-30

In this review, I highlighted Florentino Hornedo’s unique rendition of philosophizing human values vis-à-vis the historicity of the growth and struggles of the Filipinos. Through what Hornedo termed a “processualist perspective,” he has shown the political dimension in the development and decay of human values. Thus, the collective consciousness, as Hornedo argued, can be influenced by individual efforts, as shown by history, since the dominant value-concerns can affect the welfare of the nation. In so doing, Hornedo veers away from the cut-and-dried historiography of presenting the emergence of cultural phenomena by creatively placing a premium on the phenomenological grounds of its existence, which necessitates an ethical revaluation.

I introduced this book in line with the scholarly projects and philosophy of Hornedo as a research luminary. The second part of the book presents my discovery of Hornedo’s notion of Filipino identity, which is neither static nor immutable, as discussed in his developmental vision of a culture. This is followed by the third section of the review, in which I critically examined what led Hornedo to employ consequentialist vindication on the relevance of accepting the reality of change and cultural influences in social development, but without overlooking that Hornedo also believes that human consciousness cannot be completely reduced to issues of functionality and pragmatic concerns. The fourth part of the review deals with the attempt of Hornedo to realistically face the admixture of Filipino values as derived from its colonial history, nationalist spirit, and aboriginal elements that resulted in political confusion. This review ends with the hope that Hornedo offered as a gift to those who appreciate the delicate balance of objectivity and subjectivity in the axiological concerns of the Philippine society as interwoven to other social predicaments.

Thomas Aquinas' Justice as Common Good: An Antidote to Environmental Crisis

Eddie Vicente Marquiño — 2026-03-30

This paper explores Thomas Aquinas’ Concept of justice as an antidote to the environmental crisis that Pope Francis highlighted in Laudato Si. This paper argues that a Thomistic understanding of justice, as it centers on the idea of the common good, will contribute to solving the environmental crisis that adversely impacts the poor in the community. Thus, this paper aims to contribute to solving the world's environmental crisis. It discusses various environmental crises and Thomas Aquinas' concept of justice as a common good. This research applies Thomas Aquinas' understanding of justice in addressing the environmental crisis.

A Poisonous Game: Anxiety and the Void in Stefan Zweig’s Chess or Schachnovelle (1941)

Edward Owen Teggin — 2026-03-30

This article offers a narratologically informed psychological reading of Stefan Zweig’s Chess (1941), situating the novella within the context of Austrian diasporic literature and the author’s own exile. Building on Kierkegaard’s conception of anxiety as a form of existential dizziness and Lacan’s structural account of anxiety, the study argues that Chess represents anxiety not merely thematically but structurally. Through Genette’s narratological framework, this study shows how Zweig constructs a layered narrative architecture in which an extradiegetic-heterodiegetic shipboard narrator frames the metadiegetic-homodiegetic confession of Dr. B. This shift from zero focalisation to internal focalisation draws the reader progressively closer to Dr. B.’s deteriorating mental state, mirroring the claustrophobic conditions of his Gestapo imprisonment. The analysis examines how Zweig employs narrative rhythm, anachrony, and interpolated narration to replicate the distortions of memory and perception characteristic of trauma. Repetition, temporal looping, and iterative descriptions reflect Dr. B.’s struggle within the existential ‘void’, while the accelerating pace and fragmentation of his metadiegetic account chart his descent into the psychological “abyss.” By integrating narratology with psychoanalytic and philosophical approaches, the article demonstrates that Chess is best understood as a psychological experiment encoded in its own narrative form. Zweig’s manipulation of narrative levels, perspective, and temporal structure not only depicts anxiety but structurally compels the reader to inhabit it, uniting form and content in a coherent exploration of trauma, obsession, and exile.

Personal Myths and Human Predicaments: A Narrative Inquiry into Meaning, Faith, and Resilience

Ma. Emperatriz Gabatbat — 2026-03-30

Stories help us make sense of who we are, like myths in particular. They shape how humanity understands life, suffering, and identity. This research explores how personal mythical experiences, such as folk stories, religious rituals, and cultural superstitions, help individuals make sense of their struggles, build resilience, and shape their beliefs and values. Specifically, it aims to understand how people relate to and draw meaning from personal myths during times of personal hardship; explore how these myths help individuals deal with fear, pain, uncertainty, and other life challenges; and examine how personal myths influence a person’s values, spiritual outlook, and sense of belonging in the face of adversity. Using a qualitative narrative inquiry approach grounded in thematic analysis, autoethnography, and hermeneutics, the research collected and examined personal narratives that reflect the lived experiences of myth in moments of fear, pain, uncertainty, and adversity. The findings reveal that myths function not only as cultural artifacts but as active psychological and spiritual tools that offer symbolic frameworks for coping, reflection, and transformation. This study identifies key human predicaments linked to specific mythic experiences and the life values derived from them. The results show that myths provide emotional regulation, foster moral guidance, deepen spiritual imagination, and strengthen communal identity. Theologically, myths are interpreted as sacramental signs, embodied expressions through which divine presence is encountered in everyday life. Ultimately, the study affirms that personal myths are not obsolete beliefs but living traditions that empower individuals to navigate suffering with meaning, courage, and faith.

A Semiotic Reading of Nick Joaquin’s May Day Eve

Rowena Javier - Rivero — 2026-03-30

This paper is an attempt to interpret a short story in Philippine Literature in English employing the processes of literary semiotics in reconstructing the meaning of the text. Victor Shklovsky’s Theory of Prose was used as the basis for this study and Umberto Eco’s Process in Reading an Open Text was used as the framework or model in analyzing the text. His seminal work on “Open Text” posits that texts can not only be freely interpreted but also cooperatively generated by the reader [addressee]. Thus, this short story of one of Philippines’ finest writers in English, Nick Joaquin, was chosen as the text for semiotic reading since his writing is known to have subliminal messages or meanings that are hiding in the texts. Words (or texts) as signs are the objects of study in this critical paper. Therefore, words, phrases, and sentences as well as its structure are the primary concerns of this paper since they represent important information that will help in interpreting the texts. Consequently, this semiotic reading of Nick Joaquin’s May Day Eve poses four points:

That incestuous marriage did exist between Badoy Montiya and Agueda (they are cousins)
That oppression among women was grievously manifested in the circumstances that Agueda was involved in (confrontation in the dark hall; she was forced to marry Badoy)
That corruption (sexually) among youth was explicitly demonstrated (Badoy was a lot older than Agueda)

That objectification of women was rampant (Badoy desired for Agueda that turned him to be deliriously “in love” with her”)

An Interpretive Theological and Pastoral Approach to Sacramental Tradition for Faithful Earthkeeping

Jennifer Fonseca — 2026-03-30

This study presents an interpretive theological and pastoral exploration of the Catholic sacramental tradition as a vital resource for faithful stewardship of the earth in the face of the global ecological crisis. It contends that the deeply symbolic, embodied, spiritual, and communal dimensions of sacramental tradition can inspire a renewed ethical, spiritual, and pastoral commitment to the care of creation. Utilizing archival sources and interpretive methodology, the paper also draws on a wide range of voices from eco-theology, ecofeminism, and the environmental sciences to examine how the Church’s sacramental imagination, rooted in the mystery of Christ’s incarnation and presence in the material world, offers a counter-narrative to ecological degradation. While technological and policy-driven responses are essential, they remain insufficient without the moral, spiritual, and liturgical transformation that the sacramental worldview can animate. This approach affirms the vocation of the Church not only to preach ecological conversion but to embody it through rituals, relationships, and practices that reflect reverence for the Earth as God’s sacred creation. It encourages creative pastoral ministry yet is grounded in the sacramental tradition. A pastoral work that becomes a way to shape ecological awareness and engagement, a faithful earthkeeping.

Exploring Lintner’s Claims on the Catholic Church’s Teaching on Artificial Contraceptives and Laya-Kapwa as a Contextualized Filipino Sexual Ethic

Dalmacito Cordero Jr. — 2026-03-30

This research deeply explores the prominent theologian Martin Lintner's published article regarding the controversial encyclical Humanae Vitae (HV). His discussions are basically focused on the socio-historical details of the encyclical's publication and some personal views. His claims include the question of synodality in the Church, the reception/reaction of the previous popes, and an accusation of error committed by Pope Paul VI in evaluating the morality of artificial contraception methods. Through objective analysis, these claims are clarified through a discussion of related concepts in moral theology, such as the principle of totality, Sacred Tradition, and the various manifestations of moral decline. The accusation of error by Pope Paul VI will be weighed carefully by providing justifications to support the “prophecies of fears” using the social/moral realities in the Philippine context. Lastly, this article explores the intellectualization of the coined Filipino virtue of laya-kapwa as a central component for a contextualized sexual ethic for Filipinos. It is an exercise of conscientious freedom in making sexual decisions that always considers the good of the other.

Love in the Nothingness of Being: Musings on Ferdinand Ulrich’s Transnihilation of Being in Homo Abyssus

Elvis Ballacay Jr. — 2026-03-30

This paper aims to reflect on love in the light of Ferdinand Ulrich’s transnihilation of being. It is described that transnihilation of being is the fullness given away of being to pour itself abundantly in the movement of finitization. It presupposes that love in the state of nothingness “transforms distance into intimacy” and hence calls the human person to love amid the nothingness of being. To think of love in the nothingness of being grants the human person the knowledge to emancipate oneself from the temptation of making love an absolute thing in a relationship that has been fixed with expectation, conditions, and reciprocity. Love in the nothingness of being seeks love unconditionally for love has nothing to give but love itself. The notion of being’s transnihilation is the main theme of love in this paper as being draws its subsistence to God. Love in its manner of self-emptying gives being away so that another may come to be. In this metaphysical act of love being found its ultimate origin in the light of divine goodness. Thus, this paper hopes to contribute in the understanding of love as it partakes in the emerging discourse on the philosophical work of Ferdinand Ulrich’s Homo Abyssus: The Drama of the Question of Being.