Language and Philosophy

Adam was the bridge operator of a railroad drawbridge; his job was to ensure that trains and boats passed safely on the bridge. One day, he took his eight-year-old son with him to work. At the bridge, Adam goes into the engine room, and tells his son to stay at the edge of the nearby lake. A ship is coming, so Adam lifts the bridge. Though supposed to arrive an hour later, a train filled with passengers also happens to arrive. Adam’s son sees this, and tries to warn his father. But Adam wasn’t paying attention and is unaware of the oncoming train. Just as the oncoming train approaches, his son tries to lower the bridge but falls into the drawbridge gear works, leaving Adam with a horrific choice: a) to save the train by lowering the bridge but crush his son, or b) save his son by leaving the bridge open and allowing the train to crash. What do you think should Adam do? Why?

“ When we encounter another individual truly as a person, not as an object for use, we become fully human .” —Martin Buber (1878-1965) We human beings are said to be social animals, that we are naturally drawn to live in groups, be it a small family or a complex city. In these groups, we interact with each other; and we do so mostly because, like useful objects, we need something from them. Other interactions, however, are more selfless and intimate; they are not based on other people’s usefulness. In them we don’t treat others like objects—but as “subjects.” In philosophy, this kind of relationship is referred to as “intersubjectivity.”   What is Intersubjectivity? The term “intersubjectivity” was coined by the Austrian-German philosopher Edmund Husserl (1859-1938). It is a compound of the prefix “inter,” which means “between” or “among,” and the philosophical term “subject,” which refers to a conscious being. Intersubjectivity is the interchange of thoughts and feeli...

This blog post is a transcript of our YouTube video How to Write a Lesson Plan – The 5Es Format . Hello everyone! To complete our Lesson Plan series, in this video we will discuss another lesson plan format—the 5 Es or Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. What is the 5Es format? How do you use it? And how is it different from the 3Is and the 4As? This video is already the third part of our Lesson Plan series. In case you haven’t watched the first and second part yet, I recommend you watch them first before this one, so that you will have a background of the lesson plan parts and formats we have discussed so far: the 3Is and the 4As . Now to see how the 5Es format works, we will be using the same Objectives and Subject Matter from our 3Is lesson plan video. Let’s have a quick recap of these parts before we proceed. I. Objectives At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to: construct questions answerable by yes/no, and transform sentences into questions answera...

What is the Renaissance? The word "Renaissance" is French for "rebirth;" it refers to the revival of interest in the ideas and art of ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance is a period in European history that followed the Middle Ages. It is generally dated from the 14th to the 16th centuries, beginning in Italy and later on spreading to the rest of Europe. The Renaissance is noted as a time of: Rediscovery of classical texts and ideals Humanism New ideas in both science and art The use of new technologies like paper and the printing press The particularly fruitful period during the Renaissance is referred to as the “High Renaissance,” which occurred in Italy between the 1490s and 1527. Leonardo da Vinci , Michelangelo , and Raphael were among the most well-known artists of this time. The Renaissance in Italy ended in 1527, when the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V attacked Rome. Despite this, the Renaissance continued to have an impact on the art and ideas outside I...

What is Ethical Communication? Let’s start by defining first what ethics and communication is. Ethics comes from the Greek word ethos , which means character or moral nature. It is concerned with the question of right and wrong, good and bad in human action. While communication is the human act of sending (verbal or nonverbal; online or offline) and receiving messages in which interpretations are made during the process. Following these definitions, ethical communication then may be defined as the act of communicating clearly, concisely, truthfully, and responsibly. Now because communication is a universal human activity, ethics in communication too can take a universal approach, regardless of an individual’s moral principles. Indeed, although people from different cultures have different moral philosophies, everyone expects to be treated with dignity, fairness, respect, or at least with basic courtesy, in communicating with others. Expressing Ethics in Communication 1. Adherin...

Communication consists of five elements: The sender The receiver The message The channel The feedback The Sender The Sender is perhaps the most important among the elements because he/she initiates the whole communication process. Now to communicate effectively, the Sender must have the ability to use well the language the receiver understands. Moreover, he/she should know how to deliver his/her message properly. Proper delivery includes good voice projection, the use of appropriate eye contact, proper articulation of words, and proper intonation, and emphasis on important words. Take note that people will likely reject a message if the sender doesn’t know how to communicate properly or is unreliable. The Receiver For communication to be effective, the Receiver must have good listening and comprehension skills. Good listening requires one to focus on what is conveyed and as much as possible eliminate all possible distractions or noises (i.e., physical, environmental, psychological, emo...