MRR in READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

NAME: ROTONI, Jiggs Josef Z.

SECTION: CE - A2

Assignment. MRR1
Metacognitive Reading Report no.1

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. Three (3) things that I significantly learned from the readings

a. The word history came from a Greek word which means learning. As we can
observe, the origin of the word makes sense as we all learn from the past and it
is important that we do so, so we can avoid things that have happened
negatively, otherwise, everything will be just a repetition of itself.

Subsequently, the meaning of the word history as widely use in the current era
refers only to the past of mankind, meaning, it only tackles the past without
taking any action or valuable lessons from it.

b. There is a huge dilemma when talking about the historical information that we
have today, as according to the reading the historical knowledge that the world
currently has are very limited. Authenticity and originality are also issues that
are also accounts that are needed to be addressed too. The statement can be
further explained and seconded as according to the readings, the information
and knowledge will have to travel multiple and various mediums before actually
coming into the world.

Only a portion of what really occurred in the past was really observed and not
all of the observations can be remembered by witnesses. Memories always
appears to be very blurry and are just abstract images and are not considered as
realities, therefore, decreasing its reliability in terms of authenticity and
certainty. Moreover, only a fraction of these remembered observations was
recorded or transcribed to become actual evidences; from these, only few have
survived. Factors such as wars and other natural and/or man-made phenomena
play vital role in loss of information. Unfortunately, only few from those records
that had survived come to the historians’ attention, thus, limiting the
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information and knowledge gathered and in other cases valuable data are being
buried in vain.
c. One thing that I also significantly learned from the reading is that there are
multiple outlets of sources and these different sources produces different kinds
of information. There are primary sources and there are secondary sources in
which can be further subdivided into artifacts (solid) or testimonies either
written or orally transmitted. These sources functions as the foundation in
proving one’s point or claim as well as serves as the explanation that something
had really existed or happened. As according to the book, primary sources are
more factual while the secondary sources are somewhat opinionated.
Nonetheless, both are considered as key tools of the historians to understand
the unwritten history as well as reconstructing the image that once occurred in
the timeline of the humanity.

The readings also believed and suggests that there are in fact some sources that
are different from one another, they could still be classified as complementary
and related. For instance, orally transmitted evidences and records can be
complemented with written records and evidences. In the same manner, in
other aspects of sources, this can be said to be true.

2. Three (3) things that are still unclear to me

a. If sources are complimentary with each other, of taking into consideration its
authenticity and reliability, why are there some instances that there occur some
conflicting statements which can be sometimes misleading. Which is which?
b. It is not new to us that there are some records that are written in some of ways
we cannot understand as a whole and there are some that are written in
different languages. By translating this information, we can say that will be gaps
between the real meaning it encompasses and the definition perceived by the
translator, therefore, omitting or adding some icing on the cake. For instance,
the Bible, it was first written in Greek and was translated into many different
languages and versions, and now, conflicts in its meanings arose as a huge
dilemma making divisions the single truth. In the same manner, those writings
of the ancient civilizations that are translated by scholars and other experts does
not guarantee that what we saw was the real meaning of unless otherwise
stated with it. The question lies, how can we achieve unity of thoughts and avoid
multiple and parallel interpretation of a single truth?
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c. Mass media and social media are two concepts that are directly related to one
another, however, social media is a newer trend and a newer way of mass
communication. With its immergence together with the internet, how can an
individual filter out information if everything appears to valid? Is the internet
more transparent that the actual records that we have? Conversely, the internet
also holds its own share of lies. How can the truth be set free for the masses and
how can it standout from all of those lies surrounding it?
3. I used to think that…

History, as I knew it before, was just elaborated facts which can described the
things that had happened in the past. For me, it was just a continuous list and
systematic way of putting things so that we cannot forget, or we can be
reminded of the things which led us to what we are today.
However, by digging more deeply to the context, it was in my disbelief that
history was more than just a boring entity, it is much more than what we read.
It is the lessons and explanations, it is the why’s and the how’s as well as the
what if’s and what could-have-been’s that makes history more interesting and
valuable. Every story has its own morals and our history is our long story and
therefore we can learn from it. It is through looking back we can answer the
question of today and the queries and worries of tomorrow. It is true that we
cannot change the past as time is not a renewable resource, but we can use it to
redirect our so we will not suffer the same consequences of those who came
before us.
It also through this reading that opened up a lot of new uncertainties as well as
enlightenment. The concept of authenticity as well as originality are two huge
things that captured my attention. There are some things that we cannot judge
based from one person’s statement only or in one perspective only. It should be
seen in multiple direction. Perhaps, it is not only a cause and effect relationship
but rather the cause is also an effect of another cause behind what are seen and
what is perceived by the naked eye.

4. Three (3) questions that I want to ask about the readings

a. Is the history or the past as we know it today really the reality of what has
occurred in the past? Is it really the reconstruction of our glorious narrative or
are we, in some ways, creates our own version of past without noticing it?
b. If authenticity is one of the major problems in studying history, how can one
justify that a statement or claim from a believed primary source is true to best
of his/her knowledge?
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c. By unveiling the past, are we headed to growth and progress, or are we moving
the other way around? Isn’t it that by looking at the past we are focusing our
thoughts on the things that we cannot change rather than looking forward on
the things in which we have more capability to change and develop for the
betterment of the world in general?