The Pancasila Philosophy

Lecture-3

Pancasila as a System of Philosophy

Aloysius Prasetya, S.Fil.,M.A.

The Conception of PhilosophyPhilosophy can be conceived of in two ways: 1. As a method of thinking or analysisused to find an answer to an object of investigation.

2. As a vision comprising a system of thought and valueswhich functions as an ideology for a person, a group of people, or a nation.

Philosophy as ScienceAs a branch of science, philosophy has to meet a few conditions:1.It must have an object (material and formal)2.It must have a method (logic)3.It must be systematic (interdependent notions)4.It must be universal (the object is being).

Features of Philosophical ThinkingA few features set philosophy apart from the rest of science. Philosophy has even been called the mother of all science. Philosophical thinking is:- Critical (analysis, evaluation)- Systematic (congruence of terms)- Consistent and coherent - Radical (the underlying structure of being)- Comprehensive (not partial, situational)

Branches of Philosophy1.Metaphysics: 1st cause - General:

• Ontology: existance - Specific:

• Cosmology: universe • metaphysical anthropology: space and time

2.Epistemology: • Logic: thinking/reason

3.Deontology (Axiology) - Ethics: right/wrong - Esthetics: beuty

The Philosophy of the principles of PancasilaOn the basis of Aristotle’s use of philosophy as a way of thinking to arrive at the truth, the first step in philosophy is to investigate the origin of a concept (metaphysics/1st cause) This involves the idea of the four causes:1.Material cause (causa materialis) 2.Formal cause (causa formalis)3.Efficient cause (causa efficiens)4.Final cause (causa finalis/goal).

Origins of Pancasila :•Material cause: the materials included in Pancasila are embedded in the customs, cultures, and religions of the inhabitants of Nusantara •Formal cause: the wording of Pancasila conceived by Soekarno, Muh. Yamin, and Prof. Soepomo •Efficient cause: the process of deliberation from the formulation of Pancasila until its ratification as the state’s foundation on August 18, 1945•Final cause: Pancasila as the foundational philosophy of the new Indonesian state.

The Meaning and Essence of Pancasila•As a general, universal, and abstract concept: Pancasila as state’s foundational philosophy and ideological legitimacy for the new Indonesian state. This meaning is fixed and unchanged.•As a general, collective concept: Pancasila as the principle of the state’s administration in the form of a basic written law (UUD 1945) and implementation of the Constitution Preamble.•As a specific, concrete concept: Pancasila as a public policy and political act by the government, and as the basis of a citizen’s evaluation, deliberation and actions.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

1. Belief in the One and Only God: Pancasila admits both God’s transcendent and immanent nature.•The transcendence of God: the concept of God who is “far”, “inaccessible” to human experience and who can be known only through phenomena, as in the beauty of nature and in the order of the universe.•In this concept of God, He is acknowledged as being the indirect cause of all things that concern the life of the humankind and the existence and sustenance of the whole universe.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles•The immanence of God: the concept of God who is “near”, and who takes care of the life of His creatures; He is worshipped by the people in the religions and on Him people rely for help.•In this concept, God is acknowledged as being involved in the events of the world; more particularly, He “has bestowed His mercy and grace” in the event of the declaration of the Indonesian independence.•The belief in the One and Only God sets the stage for the other principles of Pancasila.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles•Consequences of the fundamental option of “belief in God”: •No room for atheism and anti-theism, either in attitude or in actions; no tolerance towards anti-religious threats; no constriction in matters of religion; religious tolerance.•Without being theocratic, Indonesia admits the proper authority of the divine law, the natural law, and the ethical law. These become the source for the Indonesian legislation.•The belief in the One and Only God sets the worldview of the Indonesian nation which is not atheistic or materialistic.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles2. Just and civilized humanity: Pancasila admits a specific metaphysical anthropology.

HUMANS

INDIVIDUAL

SOCIAL

AUTONOMOUS

NATURAL

SOUL

BODY

REASON

FEELING

WILL

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles● Humans are the essence of a state and a nation. Thus a state is founded on its conception of humans. The structure of the state’s authorities should be set on the basis of the human dignity. In this sense, the Indonesian nation is based on the conception of humanity which is just and civilised.●Consequences: 1.congruence of the state’s nature with the human dignity should consider the various human dimensions mentioned above: a being consisting at the same time of soul and body, reason-feeling-and will, autonomous yet a creature of God.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●Consequences: 2. the state should cater to the human needs of the citizens: physical, spiritual, religious, national, international, demo-cratic needs, as well as the needs for justice in the social as well as national context.3. the human and national identity of the Indonesian citizens is one on the basis of Pancasila.4. no one-dimensional ideology, based on individual para-digms (liberalism, capitalism, hedonism, altruism) or communal paradigms (utilitarianism, communism, marx-ism) is consistent with this principle of Pancasila.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●Consequences: 5. Ideologies stressing on the power of authority which does not heed the whole human dignity (fascism, authoritarianism) or which tilt heavily towards one particular entity basing on primordial allegiance (theo-cratic, racial convictions) are in discordance with this second principle of Pancasila. 6. The state and all its mechanisms, the government and all its personnel, the community as well as the individu-al, should upkeep and promote the basic human rights.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●3. The Unity of Indonesia: • The third principle of Pancasila points to the diversity of the Indonesian citizens in terms of ethnicity, religion and language. On the other hand, it also emphasizes the coexistence among these diverse entities which enables Indonesia to become one nation, one state.• This is based on the mutual and reciprocal acceptance among the various entities which constitute the nation. This awareness of “being together” has done well to preserve the identity of the individual entities.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●Consequences: • There should be no group or specific interest serving as the state’s paradigm other than the national interest based on the spirit of Pancasila.• The diversity of the Indonesian nation is a fact to admit. Awareness of this diversity must be nurtured to become an habitual attitude of the citizen and has to be extended to all the aspects of the nation’s existence through formal, informal, and non-formal education.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●Consequences: • Effort should be made towards national integration in all respects, so that cultural, defence, political and economical stability can be maintained and enhanced.• Trans-sectoral dialogues should be undertaken and promoted as a communication means that is just and equitable in order to bridge the gap between the diverse interests that might develop among the various groups in the society.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●4. Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations amongst representatives: • The core point of the fourth principle is the sovereignty of the people. This is termed: a democracy that is guided by inner wisdom through representatives, or the Pancasilaic democracy.• The other concepts which clarify further the nature of this democracy are cooperation, deliberation to achieve a consensus or unanimity. The Pancasilaic democracy is strongly grounded on the conception of a human being as an individual as well as a social being.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations amongst representatives: • The state as an organisation of power is forceful only in so far as it is backed by the people. So the authority of the state is commissioned by the people who conscious-ly opt for this type of state administration, while still maintaining control over how the power of government is actuated. This is to ensure that all the policies that is taken by the government serve the interest of the people. • Thus Pancasilaic democracy is a government from the people, by the people and for the people.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●But how can the insterest of the people be identified: is it through the determination of the will of the majority? • This is where Pancasilaic democracy differs from liberal democracy. The aim of the deliberation is to achieve a consensus which accomodates the interest of all parties and in which no party feels being left aside. Not even majority-minority is raised as an issue. • Then, the consensus is implemented wholeheartedly by all the parties in a spirit of cooperation. Pancasilaic democracy, thus, is not governed by the paradigm of government-opposition, but the win-to-win solution.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●Consequences: • Pancasilaic democracy is based on the social nature of the human person admitting indivual needs to be met. • The government comes from the people, and is the manifestation of the sovereignty of the people.• All decisions are made through deliberation to achieve a consensus and are implemented by all the parties in a spirit of cooperation. • Pancasilaic democracy does not admit the domination of the majority over the minority, or the tyranny of a minority over the majority. Pluriformity is admitted.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●5. Social justice for all of the people of Indonesia: • The core point of the fifth principle is justice. This means that the state must cater to the rights and obligations of the citizen, and the citizen has to perform his/her rights and obligations towards the state and to one another.• There are three kinds of justice: distributive (state towards citizen), legal (citizen towards state), and commutative (citizen towards other citizen). This is based on the conception of a person as an individual that has rights and as a social being that has obligations.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●Social justice for all of the people of Indonesia: • The fifth principle is the end of the other principles. This is the goal of the Indonesian state, which is to bring about a society which is just and prosperous on the basis of Pancasila. • The fourth principle is really in function of the fifth, in that all the endeavours of the state have to converge to create the social welfare of the citizens. The state has to solve all the social disparities that the citizens face, and see to it that all citizens are treated equal before the law as well as having equal access to all means to welfare.

The Philosophy of Pancasila’s Principles

●Consequences: • The goal of the Indonesian state is to bring about a society which ensures equal opportunities to all citizens to achieve welfare. • The state provides for the basic needs which affect the life of all the citizens. • The citizen has the right and obligation to perform his/her rights and obligations towards the state and towards fellow citizens.

The Unity and Totality of Pancasila

●Totality of thought system: • The Indonesian state philosophy constitutes a unity as well as a totality which commands the way it should be understood. No parts can be separated from one another and the right understanding of each one of them is with-in the context of the other parts. • The underlying idea can be shown in a pyramidal structure, with the more concrete principles close to the bottom, while the more abstract principles close to the top of the pyramid. This also represents the scope and the content of each principle.

The Pancasila PyramidAbstract-General Wide scope-narrow content 1 11 1 2 2Imbues 3 3 is imbued by 4 4Concrete- Narrow scope-Specific 5 5 Wide content

Thank you.God Bless All of

You.