by MARIE CLAIRE S. LAGRISOLA
THE DEPARTMENT of Philosophy launched last Nov. 7 its very first Noche session, an event that welcomes students to join a monthly online philosophical discourse.
Noche, also known as Noche Alegre, primarily aims to create a space for philosophical discussion and to widen the research horizon of the department’s alumni and undergraduate students.
This projected yearlong activity is inspired by UST’s old tradition Noche Triste, which was used to call the night before the examinations for the licentiate degree in Philosophy or Theology.
Instead of worrying for the following day’s examinations, interested individuals are brought together to navigate through various texts and exchange of ideas.
“This is a joyful event as it presents how thought is alive,” event moderator Anton Heinrich Rennesland told The Flame.
Rennesland said that although philosophy has been taught in the University since its founding, the formation of a department under AB 10 years ago was in recognition of how philosophy thrives both in and off the campus.
“[Noche] was done [in] preparation for [UST’s] quadricentennial celebration that sought to unify how philosophy is taught across disciplines and especially as a major,” the doctorate researcher added.
In Noche, each month features a philosopher/thinker representative of the five research thrusts of the department, viz. Filipino Philosophy, Aristotelian-Thomistic Philosophy and Scholasticism, Oriental-East-West Comparative Philosophy, and Anglo-American Philosophy.
The recent session focused on Filipino Philosophy for the former UST professor Dr. Florentine Hornedo’s essay “Free Fall: Postmodernism,” since the month of October was his birth month.
It was originally scheduled for Oct. 31, but was moved to a later date due to the Undas break.
The department also saw it fitting to begin this yearlong activity in memory of one of the pillars of secular philosophy in the University.
The speakers for the first Noche discourse were Dr. Fleurdeliz Altez-Albela and Dr. Roland Pada who received their degrees from UST and were both students of the late Dr. Hornedo.
For November’s session, Noche focuses on the research thrust “Aristotelian-Thomistic Philosophy and Scholasticism,” where Thérèse Bonin’s “The Emanative Psychology of Albertus Magnus” is discussed.
Pre-registration for the event is available on the Department of Philosophy’s official Facebook page. F
