Philosophy
as insight is rooted in lived
experience. It is inseparably one with life. Most of the time, our life-experiences will cause us to pause for a moment to think or reflect. So, what is experience?
Experience is the dynamic interrelation of the self and the other –be it things, human beings, the environment, the world, grasped not objectively but from within (Johann, 2001). In Cebuano dialect, two words, namely: kaagi and kasinatian, are more or less the appropriate counterparts of the word, experience. The root word of kaagi is agi, meaning “you happen to pass by or to have an acquaintance of the person or object.” On the other hand, kasinatian has root in sinati, meaning “you have a sense of familiarity.” In analysis, these two words imply that when talking about experience, one has a sense of “acquaintance or familiarity” of the object or person in his/her experience. This sense of acquaintance or familiarity with others (non-self) is the outcome of this dynamic interrelation, or what we “technically” call experience. It entails further that the self is conscious of itself and conscious of others (non-self).
Experience is the dynamic interrelation of the self and the other –be it things, human beings, the environment, the world, grasped not objectively but from within (Johann, 2001). In Cebuano dialect, two words, namely: kaagi and kasinatian, are more or less the appropriate counterparts of the word, experience. The root word of kaagi is agi, meaning “you happen to pass by or to have an acquaintance of the person or object.” On the other hand, kasinatian has root in sinati, meaning “you have a sense of familiarity.” In analysis, these two words imply that when talking about experience, one has a sense of “acquaintance or familiarity” of the object or person in his/her experience. This sense of acquaintance or familiarity with others (non-self) is the outcome of this dynamic interrelation, or what we “technically” call experience. It entails further that the self is conscious of itself and conscious of others (non-self).
However, our experience is characterized by tension, disequilibrium,
disharmony, or incoherence. Let’s take,
for example, our love experience. We
cannot say that our love experience is always a smooth sailing one. Time will really come when rough waters will
test our relationship like misunderstanding, break-ups, and so on. This condition calls for an inquiry, questioning, or
search. Depending on the level of experience, there are three levels
of inquiry: (a) common sense, (b) scientific, and (c)
philosophical. Common sense is the generally accepted
set of regulative meanings and procedures applied to particular
circumstances. Scientific inquiry is concerned with a
particular need, treats the world as a means in order to achieve a concrete
end. Philosophical inquiry is an inquiry into the
coherence, sense of human life as a totality, as a whole, comprehensive reality
and ultimate/ final value (Johann, 2001).
