Towards a critical theory of Philippine society

Abstract

The end of philosophy does not really mean its complete dissolution; instead, it means putting an end to the old ways of doing philosophy. Philosophy should not remain the same given the pluralism and diversity of modern society; it cannot hope to explain complex social issues by relying solely on its own methods and resources. Habermas declares that philosophy must be critical theory- its main task the forging of a theory of society aimed at emancipation. This paper elaborates his proposal on how philosophy can serve the goal of critical theory through his analysis of the potency and function of language as communicative action. Using his proposal as framework this paper then reflects on the study and teaching of philosophy in the Philippines and how these may be aligned with the new way of doing philosophy as critical theory.