Why Filipinos Tend to Have a Binary Mentality: Culture, Religion, and Education
Why do most Filipinos appear to entertain such a black-and-white mentality? This article explores the underlying cultural, religious, and educational factors that contribute to this tendency.
Cultural Factors and the Filipinos' Binary Mentality
The Filipino educational system is often criticized for not fostering critical thinking but rather focusing on passing standardized tests. This is a problem shared by many educational systems worldwide, but it is exacerbated in the Philippines where the culture does not celebrate knowledge and intelligence. Instead, the juan tamad brand of cleverness is celebrated, where success is achieved through shortcuts, deception, and taking advantage of others. Intellectualism is often mocked and persecuted.
The easy way out is stressed, leading to people taking the path of least resistance in many aspects of life. This is evident in actions such as paying under the table to fast-track getting a drivers license or cutting in line for voter registrations. Corruption starts at the lowest level and permeates through society.
The Influence of Religion
Religion also plays a significant role in reinforcing the binary mentality of Filipinos. It is a well-established fact that people who are religious are much less amenable to their deeply held beliefs being challenged. This can be seen in the Philippines, where the vast majority of the population is religious. For many Filipinos, their beliefs are often unshakable, even in the presence of contradictory evidence. This lack of willingness to adapt their beliefs is strongly influenced by their religious background.
The Impact of Education on Intellectual Laziness
The anti-intellectualist mentality in the Philippines is deeply ingrained in the culture. This is not limited to the educational system but extends to other areas of life as well. The internet, despite being accessible to a sizable portion of the population, is not widely used as a source of knowledge or news. Facebook is the top-accessed site, while knowledge and news sites fall behind. This is again because of the anti-intellectualist mentality, where knowledge is seen as a utilitarian tool rather than something to be pursued for its own sake.
People in the Philippines are reluctant to question the information they receive, especially when it aligns with their pre-existing beliefs. This passive acceptance of information without critical evaluation is a result of the cultural emphasis on the easy way out. Intellectual laziness is prevalent, and people are not encouraged to delve deeper into issues or to challenge their beliefs.
Conclusion
Due to the anti-intellectualist and corruption-celebrating culture, most Filipinos have a binary mentality. They find it difficult to think critically because the culture avoids and discourages thinking, leading them to hold on to firmly entrenched beliefs despite having access to a plethora of information. They do not use the internet to learn because they do not see knowledge as an end in itself but as a means to an end. This results in a black-and-white mentality, as demonstrated by the belief in the Marcos-Aquino dichotomy. Ultimately, the binary mentality is a reflection of the broader cultural and societal values of the Philippines.