Plato Starlets (SocSciII WEG2) Tutorial Group Discussion #1 December 7, 2011

Objectives: (1) Review the concept of justice. Give examples. (2) Review the Three Waves. Focus on one and the third. Determine if it is possible in the Philippine setting. Minutes of the Meeting: The word justice is defined as doing what is ought to be done. Conversely, the word injustice is defined as not doing what is ought to be done. In the Philippines, justice is defined in numerous ways. One of the definitions would be as follows: A commonly accepted definition of Justice [sic] is that it is a moral standard of all men to one another requiring them to perform their social and moral as well as legal obligations to each other and to grant to each other all that fairly be granted. (Dizon, n.d.) Another definition focuses on the three essential properties of justice, as follows: [First,] justice always refers to another person... there are no obligations of justice towards oneself. [Second,] the object of justice is not a free gift, but something that is strictly due. [And third,] justice does not demand an approximate compensation, but just what is due, neither more nor less. (eskills.net.ph, n.d.) Based on the two given and logical descriptions of justice in the present time in the Philippines, the definition of justice the group has acquired from the readings and from class is is consistent with current reality. The society, as stated in The Republic, should be the one nurturing the people. For example, if a child is born gold, society holds the responsibility of raising that child a the way that his life would be molded to really be 'gold' for the betterment of the whole society. Likewise, if children are born silver or copper, society carries the burden of raising those children to be productive 'silver' and 'copper' persons, respectively. Prior to raising such children to be beneficial 'gold', 'silver', or 'copper' people, there is a need to determine the nature of such children. To find out whether a person is born 'gold', 'silver', or 'bronze', society, to put in bluntly, forces the natural identity or calling of such a person through education. (Jopson, 2011) It is through education that a person displays strengths and weaknesses, habits and vices, capability and incapability, and capicity and incapacity that is where society determines that person nature. Society is just when it carries out its obligation, and it is unjust if it turns a blind eye to any one responsibility. To illustrate whether the society is just or unjust in the Philippines, due citations should be noted. The following account is very much visible in the country. Nurses are supposed to act as nurses and work as nurses. However, because society more specifically, the government is not doing its own obligation properly, many nurses nowadays are working as call center agents a responsibility not intended for them. So instead of being productive members of the society as nurses with head held high practicing their profession for the betterment of the whole community many nursing graduates are drooping down low, individually struggling to survive the harsh life set upon them by the negligent government. The previous statements are not intended to downgrade the call center community; such were stated solely to intensify the negative effects of injustice, which is glaringly present in such a situation. [Students] going to college for 4 years, spending so much money, so much of their time in going to school and going to their clinical practice, [with] hundred of thousands of pesos spent for their goal to finish nursing isn't a joke. (Martinez, 2008) Is society just, as shown by the account? Hardly. There exists an issue: What if someone who is ought to do a certain action indeed did such but not in full? Stated differently: What if a person 'partially' performs an assigned obligation? Moreover, what if a person 'exceedingly' carries out a particular role? For example, what if a specialist in internal medicine does indeed carry out the task of treating a patient but not enough effort which is present in the ability of the doctor to possibly rid the patient of disease? Similarly, what if a member of the maintenance staff of a hospital does the required work of cleaning but does not stop there; that is, what if such person cleaned more than what is obligatory to the point of transforming the hospital into a more spotless infrastructure than it already is? (The latter example is a theoretically abstract concept, because such would be impossible in reality.)

This is obvious: a doctor doing 50% of a certain duty is not doing 100% of it. In the same manner, any person doing 97% or 98%, or even just 99% of any prescribed obligation is not doing the expected 100%. By the same token, a member of a maintenance staff doing 101%, 102%, 199%, 300%, or even a whopping 1000% of what is required is not doing the expected 100%. Therfore, there exists injustice, brought about by the person who does not do what is strictly meant to be done. The second of the three waves that Plato deems need be overcome, the abolition of the family, will eventually be extremely difficult to implement, next to impossible, in the Philippines at the current state of time. The fundamental, basic, and simplest functional group of society in the country is the family. There are several reasons for this: learning start at home, parents are the first teachers of their own children, children need guidance from their parents, parents are the ones nourish their children, the quote a family that prays together stays together, the saying we are family, and the list goes on. Another reason it will be very difficult to abolish the family is the notion of close family ties. It is very obvious, though petty quarrels and strife are frequently evident, that in general, children are close in terms of relationship to their parents, and in turn their parents to their own parents, and the grandparents to their own parents, and so forth. Should the concept of abolition in introduced, it is needless to say that heavy resistance and multiple counterarguments will be met by the followers of Plato's idea. Though Plato has laid the conceptual foundation and positive effects delt to society should the three waves be conquered, ot would seem that the Philippines wold rather hold on to human emotional dictation what feels right customs, traditions, opinions of their individual shackled family members, and dilapidated beliefs of nonsense, to name a few, to justify why families should persist thoughout eternity. It should be noted that though the greater good is being shown in the picture, the country would likely want to remain nearsighted and devoid of foresight throughout generations. The third wave, the notion that philosophers should be kings, is also extremely difficult to attain in the country. A primary concern is that the word 'philosopher' connotes a negative attribute in many Filipino minds. This is evident that when someone tries to reason using logic, the opposition would just, and injustly, retort, Pilosopo! , and many times accompany it with curses. Another concern is that many do not know that philosophers are not just thinkers, they are also invaluable with the natural elements, particularly with the forces of nature, as described by the Parable of the Ship. These misconceptions are just of the unenlightened or of the uneducated, but since the form of government in the Philippines is democratic, wherein the many or the masses are the ruling party, and because the majority are the poor, it is very logical to say that concept philosopher kings might be vehemently rejected by the Philippines as a whole. It is a valid counterargument, however, to say that the proposed concept may be accepted through education and reeducation, which is, however, another problem the country is yet to deal with properly. Question to be posed: It should be noted that a person should not be given anything beyond the barest necessities. If such a person is given beyond, it is injustice on the part of the society which gave such an extra resource. But consider the educational system, namely, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctor's degrees in educational attainment. Suppose a person in a point in time (for instance, Time A) is in need of a Bachelor's degree to teach. There is no conflict here. But should there be a time (for instance, Time B) and indeed it is very plausible - when the same person cannot teach properly anymore because a certain concept eludicates such a person's grasp, and that person is in need of a Master's degree, or a Doctor's degree to be able to teach such a topic and continue proper teaching. Is this not beyond the 'barest' necessity? Or is it? Or can it be implied that justice changes itself from time to time? Such is of consideration: Is justice temporal? References:
Dizon, J. A. S.. (n.d.). Justice - Its Meaning and Importance. Retrieved from http://ca.judiciary.gov.ph/index.php?action=mnuactual_contents&ap=j60220 Eskills.net.ph. (n.d.). General Outlook of Justice. Retrieved from http://www.eskills.net.ph/Library%20of%20Learning%20Elements/Cite%20Courseware/gen_ethics/second_sem/justice/index. htm Jopson, T. L. A.. (2011, November 23). Personal conversation (class discussion). Martinez, M.. (2008, September 4). Nursing grads in the call center. Retrieved from http://www.abscbnnews.com/feedback/09/04/08/nursing-grads-call-center