Social Ethics Society

        The 25th World Congress of Philosophy (WCP) was held from August 1 to 8, 2024. The gathering in Rome was attended by more than 5,000 delegates across the globe. It had 89 thematic sessions. The first WCP was held in 1900, and was conducted every four years since then, with an exception during the Second World War. Academics from the Philippines, including faculties from University of the Philippines - Diliman, Ateneo de Manila University, the University of San Carlos, UP Manila, the University of Santo Tomas, De La Salle University, UP Los Baños, Visayas State University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and Ateneo de Davao University, presented their papers on different topics, including Filipino philosophy, political philosophy, epistemology, feminism, ethics, environmental philosophy, and analytic philosophy. Indeed, the WCP was a big intellectual, social, and cultural exchange that helped philosophy scholars and teachers to expand their knowledg...

The 6th Politics and Culture Conference, to be held from October 11-12, 2024 is an opportunity for researchers and teachers of Ethics and Philosophy to be able to present their scholarly output to the public. Critical thinking is important as we face the many challenges of human society. The keynote speakers have an outstanding track record in their respective disciplines.  Participants can choose to write based on one's interests or expertise. The topics for the event include Peace and Conflict Studies, International Relations, War on Gaza, the Ukraine War, Peace building in Bangsamoro, Philippine Democracy, and other related topics in the field of political theory, social philosophy and the ethics of war.  The Plenary Speakers include Dr. Daniel Mishori (Tel Aviv University, Israel ), Dr. Layne Hartsell (Chulalongkorn University), Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc (Ateneo de Davao University), Dr. Juichiro Tanabe (Waseda University) and Dr. Rec Eguia (University of Southeastern P...

The Social Ethics Society Journal of Applied Philosophy will release a Special Issue on the Proceedings of the 15th Social Ethics Society Conference: Philosophical Perspectives from Mindanao. All papers in the plenaries will be included in the Special Issue. Select papers from the concurrent sessions will also be part of the release, which will be jointly edited by Dr. Ian Clark Parcon and Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc. The 15th Social Ethics Society Conference will be held in February 2025 in Davao City. The Call for Papers will be released in November 2024. Dr. Rogelio Bayod is the Conference Chair. The event will be hosted by Holy Cross of Davao College. 

The 15th Social Ethics Society Conference in February next year, fully in-person, will be on the theme, "Philosophical Perspectives on Mindanao." For the first time, Mindanao will be the highlight of a philosophy conference. What do Mindanao scholars and researchers think about issues that concern the region? What do scholars and researchers from Luzon, Visayas, and Manila think about the problems and questions that matter when it comes to Mindanao and its place in the country's history, politics and economic development?  The conference will be held in Davao City in February 2025. Papers based on individual philosophers are welcome as well as topics on Peace and Conflict, Islamic Philosophy, Democracy and Autonomy, Politics and Human Poverty, Radical Democracy, Local and Indigenous Cultures, Good Governance and Human Development, Environmental Ethics, Peace, Women and Inclusion, Health and Education, and the Bangsamoro. The Call for Papers will be released in November 20...

Fr. Dexter Veloso, PhD, President of the SES, is committed to helping send more delegates to the 26th World Congress of Philosophy in Japan come August 2028. Knowing the importance of the event in enhancing the teaching of Philosophy in Mindanao, he says that members of the SES should prepare in order to get the opportunity in the next four years. The SES, through the leadership of the charismatic priest, is the man behind the continued success of the SES. Members of the SES have joined conferences in Japan, Malaysia and Thailand since Fr. Veloso became the President of the organization, helping subsidize their participation. 

In an unprecedented move, Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc, chair of the SES Board and Fr. Francis Escano, President of PHAVISMINDA and SEPI, discussed informally in a chance meeting in Davao City through BISU Prof. Marc Olaguir and CTU Prof. Anesito Cutillas, the possibility of a future collaboration or a joint conference between the SES and PHAVISMINDA/SEPI. Dr. Maboloc said that it is possible if the three organizations will hold a conference in Mindanao, perhaps in 2026. Dr. Maboloc also relayed to the group what transpired during the World Congress of Philosophy in Rome during the session that was attended by PAP President Dr. Ruby Suazo and former PAP President Dr. Jove Jim Aguas. The SES Chair mentioned that the independent role of each philosophical association in the country was emphasized while being one with the vision of the Union of Societies and Associations of Philosophy in the Philippines, including his proposal for a Professional Code of Ethics for Philosophy teachers in t...

After more than a week, eight days to be exact, the 25th World Congress of Philosophy at Sapienza University in Rome, Italy finally ended. The event was attended by more than 5,000 delegates, including philosophers, teachers, researchers, scholars, and students from different countries. The gathering of thinkers started with a program on August 1, 2024 at the Caracalla Baths in the Italian capital. Philosophy scholars and academics from top schools in the Philippines came to present their respective papers on a host of topics dealing with political philosophy, the issue of climate change, logic, structural injustice, and feminism, including Filipino philosophy. Presenters from various countries were distributed around 89 thematic sessions. It was also an opportunity for participants to learn from other cultures and their fellow nationals as well with the beauty and glory of Rome as backdrop. There were daily plenaries and symposia that included the Philosophy of Art, Human embodiment, ...

The 25th World Congress of Philosophy in Rome allowed Filipino academics to connect with each other not only in terms of exchanging ideas but of forging trust among themselves in the sense of a "personal making present," to quote Martin Buber. While the gaps and distance are apparent, it's worth noting that we can all draw from each other that sense of commonality in terms of our important job as educators.  Developing critical thinking in our students remains to be our crucial task. The different philosophical associations in the Philippines must continue to fulfill their role while maintaining the unique identity of each. Noticeably, some Filipino academics elect to pursue a more difficult endeavor internationally and we must support them. As what Dr. Jove Jim Aguas has suggested, we should be able to do what we want without being judged for our personal choices when it comes to what we write about. Kudos to our leaders from the PAP, namely, Dr. Ruby Suazo, Dr. Jeremiah...

Filipino scholars and academics who took part in the recent 25th World Congress of Philosophy at Sapienza University in Rome discussed the ways of moving forward in terms of engaging with the community of Philosophy scholars across the globe. In a shared message to the group, Dr. Jeremiah Joaquin of De La Salle University, who served as president of the Philosophical Association of the Philippines, mentioned the need to be ready for such a task. Dr. Jove Jim Aguas of the University of Santo Tomas, who was PAP President from 2001-2008, drew from the original intent and spirit of the founding of the PAP. The present PAP President, Dr. Ruby Suazo, discussed the By-Laws of the PAP and agreed to the idea of a Code of Conduct for Professionals teaching Philosophy in the country. Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc expressed the primary purpose of the establishment of the SES which is to give teachers from Mindanao the venue to present their papers. In the same vein, Dr. Suazo likewise shared his ow...

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Professor Jeffrey Sachs, author of The End of Poverty and Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, gave one stunning lecture at the World Congress of Philosophy in Rome, Italy last August 3, 2024. The philosophical conference is being held at Sapienza University with more than 3,000 in attendance from across the globe. Sachs says that there are enough resources in the world to end global poverty. As an economist, he explains that his body of work deals with the technical analysis of economic problems. However, he emphasized that philosophy is crucial today because the solution to our problems must be human and ethical. He also said that most global leaders need a class in philosophy because they are not moral nor responsible.  Sachs describes the four challenges of the present: climate change, technological advance, wars due to the hegemonic order of geopolitics, and demographics. Governments are not behaving morally and the hegemonic order in the world is causing it...