Damon Horowitz: Philosophy in prison

Translator: Juzel Danganan Reviewer: Schubert Malbas

Meet Tony. He's my student.

Kilalanin natin si Tony. Mag-aaral ko siya.

He's about my age,

Kasing edad ko siya,

and he's in San Quentin State Prison.

at siya ay nasa San Quentin State Prison.

When Tony was 16 years old,

Nang si Tony ay labing-anim na taong gulang,

one day, one moment,

isang araw, sa isang kisapmata,

"It was mom's gun.

"Kasalanan ito ng baril ni inay.

Just flash it, scare the guy. He's a punk.

Ilabas mo lang, bilang panakot. Maangas eh.

He took some money; we'll take his money. That'll teach him.

Kumuha siya ng pera; kukunin din natin ang pera niya. Tuturuan natin siya ng leksyon.

Then last minute, I'm thinking, 'Can't do this. This is wrong.'

At sa mga huling sandali, sumagi sa isip ko, 'Hindi ko 'to pwedeng gawin. Mali ito.'

My buddy says, 'C'mon, let's do this.'

Sabi ng utol ko, 'Tara na, gawin na natin 'to'.

I say, 'Let's do this.'"

Sumagot ako, 'Gawin na natin.'"

And those three words, Tony's going to remember,

At ang tatlong salitang iyon, hindi malilimutan ni Tony,

because the next thing he knows, he hears the pop.

dahil sa isang iglap, nakarinig siya ng isang putok.

There's the punk on the ground, puddle of blood.

Nakahandusay sa sahig ang mama, dumanak ang dugo.

And that's felony murder --

'Yon ay mabigat na krimen --

25 to life, parole at 50 if you're lucky,

25 hanggang habambuhay, parole sa edad na 50 kung suswertehin,

and Tony's not feeling very lucky.

at hindi maramdaman ni Tony ang sinasabing suwerte.

So when we meet in my philosophy class in his prison

Kaya noong kami'y nagkita sa aking klase sa pilosopiya sa loob ng kanyang bilangguan

and I say, "In this class, we will discuss the foundations of ethics,"

at sinabi ko, "Sa klaseng ito, tatalakayin natin ang pundasyon ng etika,"

Tony interrupts me.

Sumabat si Tony.

"What are you going to teach me about right and wrong?

"Anong ituturo mo sakin tungkol sa tama at mali?

I know what is wrong. I have done wrong.

Alam ko kung ano ang mali. Nakagawa ako ng mali.

I am told every day,

Pinapaalala sa akin araw-araw,

by every face I see, every wall I face, that I am wrong.

ng bawat mukhang makikita, bawat pader, ako ay mali.

If I ever get out of here, there will always be a mark by my name.

Kung makaalis man ako dito, may dungis na sa aking pangalan.

I'm a convict; I am branded 'wrong.'

Isa akong convict; hinatulang 'nagkamali.'

What are you going to tell me about right and wrong?"

Anong ituturo mo sakin tungkol sa tama at mali?"

So I say to Tony,

Sinabi ko kay Tony,

"Sorry, but it's worse than you think.

"Patawad, ngunit mas malala ito kaysa sa inaasahan mo.

You think you know right and wrong?

Sa tingin mo alam mo kung ano ang tama at mali?

Then can you tell me what wrong is?

Sige, kaya mo bang sabihin kung ano ang mali?

No, don't just give me an example.

Huwag mo akong bigyan ng halimbawa.

I want to know about wrongness itself, the idea of wrong.

Gusto kong malaman ang pagiging mali, ang konsepto ng mali.

What is that idea?

Ano ba ang konseptong 'yon?

What makes something wrong?

Ano ang nagpapamali sa isang bagay?

How do we know that it's wrong? Maybe you and I disagree.

Paano natin nalalaman na ito ay mali? Marahil ikaw at ako ay hindi magkasundo.

Maybe one of us is wrong about the wrong.

Marahil ang isa sa atin ay mali sa inaakala nating mali.

Maybe it's you, maybe it's me -- but we're not here to trade opinions;

Marahil ikaw, marahil ako -- pero hindi ito ang panahon ng kuro-kuro;

everyone's got an opinion.

lahat ay may kuro-kuro.

We are here for knowledge.

Andito tayo para sa karunungan.

Our enemy is thoughtlessness. This is philosophy."

Ang kaaway natin ay ang kawalang-laman ng isip. Ganito ang pilosopiya."

And something changes for Tony.

At may nagbago kay Tony.

"Could be I'm wrong. I'm tired of being wrong.

"Maaring mali ako. Pagod na ako sa pagiging mali.

I want to know what is wrong.

Gusto kong malaman kung ano ang mali.

I want to know what I know."

Gusto kong alamin ang aking nalalaman."

What Tony sees in that moment is the project of philosophy,

Ang nakita ni Tony sa sandaling iyon ay ang layunin ng pilosopiya,

the project that begins in wonder --

ang layuning nagsisimula sa pagkamangha --

what Kant called "admiration and awe

na tinawag ni Kant na pagkahumaling at paghanga

at the starry sky above and the moral law within."

sa mga bituin sa langit at sa batas moral sa kalooban natin."

What can creatures like us know of such things?

Ano nga ba ang alam natin sa ganitong mga bagay?

It is the project that always takes us back to the condition of existence --

Ito ang layuning hinuhugot ang kakanyahan ng buhay --

what Heidegger called "the always already there."

na tinawag ni Heidegger bilang "ang bagay na palaging nariwan."

It is the project of questioning what we believe and why we believe it --

Ito ang layuning pagtatanong sa pinaniniwalaan natin at kung bakit natin ito pinaniniwalaan --

what Socrates called "the examined life."

na tinawag ni Sokrates bilang "ang buhay na siniyasat."

Socrates, a man wise enough to know that he knows nothing.

Si Sokrates, napakatalino upang malaman na wala siyang alam.

Socrates died in prison,

Namatay si Sokrates sa loob ng kulungan,

his philosophy intact.

buo ang paniniwala.

So Tony starts doing his homework.

Kaya sinimulan ni Tony ang kanyang takdang-aralin.

He learns his whys and wherefores, his causes and correlations,

Natutunan niya ang kanyang mga bakit at mga dahilan, mga sanhi at mga ugnayan

his logic, his fallacies.

ang lohika, at kasinungalingan.

Turns out, Tony's got the philosophy muscle.

Nagkataon, si Tony pala ay may dugong pilosopo.

His body is in prison, but his mind is free.

Nasa bilangguan ang kanyang katawan, ngunit malaya ang kanyang kaisipan.

Tony learns about the ontologically promiscuous,

Natutunan ni Tony ang mga bagay na "ontologically promiscuous,"

the epistemologically anxious,

"epistemologically anxious,"

the ethically dubious, the metaphysically ridiculous.

"ethically dubious," at "metaphysically ridiculous."

That's Plato, Descartes, Nietzsche

'Yan sila Plato, Descartes, Nietzsche

and Bill Clinton.

at Bill Clinton.

So when he gives me his final paper,

Kaya nang iniabot niya ang kanyang panghuling proyekto,

in which he argues that the categorical imperative

kung saan iginiit niya na ang "categorical imperative"

is perhaps too uncompromising

ay napakahirap baguhin

to deal with the conflict that affects our everyday

upang solusyunan ang pang-araw-araw na suliranin

and challenges me to tell him

at hinamon ako upang sabihin sa kanya

whether therefore we are condemned to moral failure,

na wala tayong magagawa kundi ang magkamali,

I say, "I don't know.

sabi ko, "Hindi ko alam.

Let us think about that."

Pag-isipan natin 'yan."

Because in that moment, there's no mark by Tony's name;

Dahil sa pagkakataong iyon, walang dungis ang pangalan ni Tony;

it's just the two of us standing there.

kaming dalawa lang ang nakatayo doon.

It is not professor and convict,

Hindi bilang guro at bilanggo,

it is just two minds ready to do philosophy.

kundi dalawang utak na handang mamilosopo.

And I say to Tony,

At sinabi ko kay Tony,

"Let's do this."

"Gawin natin 'to."

Thank you.

Salamat.

(Applause)

(Palakpakan)