Filipino Postmodernity: Quo Vadis?

• Main Author: Abulad, Romualdo E
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2019
• Subjects: postmodernity; postmodern man; paradigm shift; the second beginning; Philosophy
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/philo-faculty-pubs/71; https://archium.ateneo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1065&context=philo-faculty-pubs
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

In this paper, Romualdo Abulad initially presents variations of postmodernity as distinct historical breaks which feature paradigmatic shifts that lead us to a new beginning. Postmodernity, as Abulad shows, is characterized by a radical openness; this leads him to argue that postmodernity as an event occurred in different moments in the history of thought, from ancient to contemporary. In what seems to be a dialectical description of history, he maintains that an opportunity for a break occurs when the inherent limitations and deficiencies of the prevailing status quo emerge, and as a result, ignite the tensions between the preservation of the old and the welcoming of the new. Applying the same idea to understand the trajectory of the sociopolitical history of the Philippines, Abulad advises us to “keep in mind the wealth of possibilities that lie in the future but at the same time not lose our patience and rush precipitately the fulfillment of things.” For this very reason, Abulad maintains that postmodernity, as opposed to a distinct and isolated moment, is an ever-ongoing project that urges us to question the present state of affairs, challenging us to go beyond the modern—look beyond into the present, and usher in a new beginning