Nakaugat sa isang nasyonalistikong mithiin, inilaan ni Leonardo Nieva Mercado ang kaniyang buhaybúhay-intelektuwal sa paggalugad at pagpapaliwanag ng kapantasang Filipino. Malakas ang kanyang paniniwala na mayroong mga sangkap ng pilosopiya sa paraan kung paano tingnan ng mga Pilipino Filipino ang kanilang partikular na sanlibutan. Gamit ang magkakaiba, ngunit magkakaugnay na metodolohiya, pinatunayan niya na ang pananaw-sa-mundo ng mga Pilipino Filipino ay di-duwalistiko at Silanganin, na mahihiwatigan naman sa mga katutubong konseptong tulad ng “loob,”, “sakop,”, “ganda,”, “pagka-’,”, “gawa,”, “kawalan,”, “pamathalaan,”, at marami pang iba. Sa sanaysay na ito, inilahad ang kaisipang Mercado nang sa ganoon ay lalo pa itong masilayan ng madla, partikular ng mga mag-aaral at mga mananaliksik na nagsisimula pa láamang o nakalimot na sa laranglárang ng pilosopiyang lokal sa ating bansa. BilangBílang isa sa mga pangunahing taga paghawan ng pilosopiyang Filipino, mataas ang halaga na maunawaan [muna] ang konseptong Mercado upang masundan na ito ng mga bagong pag-aaral at mga kaukulang pagbatikos kung kinakailangan. Anchored on a nationalist task, Leonardo Nieva Mercado dedicated his intellectual life in exploring and explaining the Filipino wisdom. He has strong confidence that there are elements of philosophy in the way the common people view their particular world. Using different yet complementary methodologies, he was able to conclude that the Filipino worldview is non-dualistic and Oriental—using the indigenous concepts of “loob,”, “sakop,”, “ganda,”, “pagka-,“”, “gawa,”, “kawalan,”, “pamathalaan,”, and many more, as his premises. This paper is a humble exposition of Mercado’s philosophy, with the students and budding researchers in local philosophy in mind. As one of the pioneering Filipino philosophers, it is of value to understand first Mercado’s philosophical enterprise to be able to proceed with further research and critique if necessary.
Keywords: Leonardo Mercado, Tagapaghawan ng Pilosopiyang Filipino, Pilosopiyang Filipino Leonardo Mercado, Philosophical Luminaries, Filipino Philosophy FilipinoAbueg, Nicanor. “Book Review of Elements of Filipino Philosophy”, by Leonardo N. Mercado. Philippine Studies 22 (1974): 3–-4 (1974). Print.
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