xAI Series/Mindanao Philosophy: Featuring Dr. Arnel Morte

Dr. Arnel Morte (full name often Arnel A. Morte or Arnel Abellon Morte, Ph.D.) is a Filipino philosopher and academic based in Mindanao, Philippines.

He is an Associate Professor (or Professor of Philosophy) at Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Musuan, Bukidnon (also listed as Maramag in some profiles), where he teaches in the Department of Philosophy or related areas. His email is associated with cmu.edu.ph (e.g., f.arnel.morte@cmu.edu.ph).

His expertise and research interests include:

Ethics (applied ethics, epistemic ethics, political ethics)

Logic

Social Ontology (e.g., collective intentionality, collective recognition, Searle's theories)

Political philosophy, nation-building, civic obligation, and democratic processes in the Philippine context.

Key academic background:

He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), with his dissertation titled "Searle's theory of collective intentionality: The case of internalism" from De La Salle University (Manila).

Earlier degrees include AB Philosophy, Master in Philosophy from Ateneo de Davao University, and a Master in Theology.

He is actively involved in Philippine philosophical communities:

A regular contributor and presenter at the Social Ethics Society (SES) conferences and publications (e.g., papers in the Social Ethics Society Journal of Applied Philosophy on topics like collective recognition in political power, epistemic ethics of voting and civic obligation, nation-building goals, and more).

He has been recognized as a fixture in local and national philosophy events in Mindanao and beyond.

In 2025, he was elected President of the Philosophy Society of Bukidnon (PSBI), Bukidnon's first philosophy organization.

He is a member of the Philippine National Philosophical Research Society (PNPRS).

His work appears in journals like Philosophia, Scientia - The International Journal on the Liberal Arts, and SES publications, with citations on Google Scholar (focused on social/political themes).

He has co-authored pieces on the state of philosophy education in the Philippines and contributed to ethics textbooks or collections.

In summary, he's a dedicated philosophy educator, researcher, and leader in Mindanao's academic scene, with a focus on socially and politically engaged philosophy—much like the other figures (Gerry Arambala, Godiva Eviota-Rivera) connected to the Social Ethics Society and regional conferences.110 sources2.7sFastAsk anything

Statement of the SES expressing its opposition to the proposal to remove Ethics in the GE Curriculum

We, members of the Board of Directors of the Social Ethics Society, express our strong opposition to the proposal to remove ethics in college. Such move is bereft of merit and is ignorant as to the value and purpose of the teaching of the course, which is thoroughly rooted in the integral and critical function of higher education. The proposal to transfer it to Senior High School deprives college students of the teaching of ethics as a professional course, which is crucial in their civic engagements and the pursuit of a democratic society that can only be grounded in responsible citizenship and critical thinking. The direction of Edcom and its advisers from the technical panels of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) reduces our whole education system into a mode of creating docile workers who will constitute the labor force that will serve the whims and interests of a capital intensive and consumer driven globalized neoliberal economic order. It only breeds our subser...

Statement of the SES BOD Chair

The Social Ethics Society was founded in 2010 by the late Dr. Romulo Bautista, a professor at Ateneo de Davao University who did his doctorate on Marx at the University of Madrid in Spain, and Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc, then a young teacher at Ateneo de Davao. The first SES Conference was held at the University of Mindanao. Its original membership was only 15, consisting mainly of the masters students of the two founders. While in the peripheries of academia, the SES pursued its goals of helping teachers in Mindanao develop their craft in ways that is consistent with philosophy as an exercise of the human will and as the highest expression of the human intellect. When its proponents presented the concept, it was suggested that the Union of Philosophical Societies and Associations in the Philippines (USAPP) will lobby for a new bill that will professionalize philosophy in the country. That was in 2018. Top UST philosophy academics, upon the invitation of Peter Elicor, attended t...

List of Accepted Papers for Oral Presentation in the 16th SES Conference

1. Donnalen Quezon (MSU-IIT) - The Paradox of Justice: A Feminist Analysis of How the Philippine Legal System Reinforces Silence Among Rape Victims through Catharine MacKinnon’s Theory of the State 2. Najifah Macaraya & Erickson Totanes (MSU - GenSan) - Thinking Peace: A Philosophical Approach to Inner and Social Harmony 3. Francis Matay-ao Jr. (Isabela State University) - Principle-Centered Leadership: A Catalyst for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions 4. Shasell Ybanez (MSU-IIT) - A Foucauldian Analysis of How Mega Influencers Reconfigure Knowledge and Desire in the Click-to-Bet Economy 5. Casey Tuazon & Shasell Ybanez (MSU-IIT) - The Ethical Implications of David Poplar’s Concept of Play Framing in the Context of Body-Shaming Humor Toward Filipino Women: A Luna Dolezal Body and Shame Analysis 6. Marlon Naiz (Southern Christian College) - Redefining Ecotourism: A Conservationist Analysis Based On Aldo Leop...

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