Philippine E-Journals

Jean-Paul Sartre and Gabriel Marcel Phenomenologies of Freedom: The Conception of Political Space on the Territorial Dispute Between China and the Philippines

Asisclo Iii M. Abonado | Alvin John J Neyra

 

Abstract:

The history of the Chinese and Filipino people cannot be told enough because, although it has written records, new light is being shed on it as new archaeological facts are unearthed each year. Meanwhile the Chinese endure to make history. Many other civilizations have risen and fallen but China lives on. Whatever the factors are, it is always worthwhile to examine the record and see how the Chinese and Filipino people have traveled through the corridors of time with agility, resiliency and endurance. One can of course, approach such a venerable civilization by studying its charming customs and traditions, its enormous cultural legacy and its history. The history of the world sums up a story of colonization and liberation, namely, a conflict in territorialization. On the other hand, ultimate realization of the collaborative effort depends upon an enlightened exchange—an exchange that does not stop at externals, but penetrates to dynamic intentions. This effort maintains to understand and evaluate the phenomenologies of freedom proposed by Sartre and Marcel, however slightly, the progress of such an exchange, is not without excuse. Hence, this paper suggests that both countries need to go back and restore their original experience. There are for sure tough and immense difficulties in the discourse of who truly and rightfully owns the contested territory given pieces of evidences were presented from both sides. The point on the territory, thus, signifies Sartrean freedom, the negative one. Nevertheless, there are so much things can be explored by converging on the discourse of intersubjectivity. Here, both countries could look back that their relations was once under the climate of mutual trust and somehow sharing instead of dividing the space.