Ortega y Gasset: Key Philosophical Concepts
Ortega y Gasset’s Philosophy
Objectivism and Spain’s Problem
For Ortega, the problem of Spain is objectivism, and in this context, he develops his objectivist doctrine. He argues that the Spanish decline is purely and simply a lack of science, a deprivation of theory.
Circumstantialism: Meditations on Quixote
Circumstantialism, developed in Meditations on Quixote, involves discovering fundamental philosophical insights by focusing on circumstances. Two major influences have shaped Western culture: Greek philosophy and Judeo-Christianity. Ortega’s discovery goes beyond these two circumstances. He draws attention to local circumstances that often go unnoticed, applying philosophical analysis to issues rarely considered in philosophical reflection.
The Doctrine of Perspective
The idea of perspective is formulated in Meditations on Quixote. If the fundamentals are the self and the circumstance, then the individual point of view is, Ortega argues, the only point of view from which one can truly see the world. The individual perspective is the only way to grasp truth. With the doctrine of perspectivism, Ortega aims to overcome skepticism and rationalism.
Ratio-Vitalism: Life and Reason
Ratio-vitalism examines the two most important aspects of human existence: life and reason. With vital reason, Ortega seeks to avoid the discredit that vitalist philosophers often bring upon reason.
Realism Versus Idealism
- Realism: Gives primacy, independence, and causal capacity to things over man.
- Idealism: Gives primacy to reason, the human subject, who decisively shapes the relationship between man and the world.
The Self, Things, and Life
For Ortega, true authenticity lies in the relationship between the self and things. The self is constantly referred to things, acting on them, being concerned about them, and thinking of them. Life is the ultimate reality, the absolute event, and everything is referred to it to make sense.
Structural Elements of Life
Life is a constant “here and now.” All life is the sum of the self interacting with things. Living is always doing something.
Understanding Circumstances
Materially, circumstance is the set of things that surround me. But these are not things in themselves; they are referred to me. Their condition is to be for me a system of facilities and difficulties. The body is a circumstance for me insofar as it is something I have; the self inhabits a body but is not the body itself.
The Nature of the Self
The self is that which strives to be this or that. It is a vital project for itself. Thus, the self lacks a fixed, natural being; its vital project is to identify with a desire to be something with which it auto-identifies.
The Necessity of Knowledge
To live is to have no other choice but to confront the inexorable fact of existence. Man thinks, not just out of idle curiosity or admiration, but because he consists of what he is and what he needs. He is driven to seek knowledge because he feels the lack of something vitally necessary. Knowledge arises from the need to know.
Ideas in Ortega’s Philosophy
Ideas are thoughts that occur to us, which we can analyze, adopt, or imitate. First, I live; then I can think about the idea. The idea is forged from something I experience and interpret. An idea exists only when and as long as we think it.
The Role of Beliefs
Man lives by his beliefs. A belief is a mental image, but it is not something we invent ourselves. Every belief is originally an idea that has spread through a community and has been transmitted to its descendants.
The Nature of Doubt
Doubt, as an intellectual activity aimed at knowing what to expect, occurs only if you believe in something and have an idea about it. Doubt arises when one has lost faith in a belief.
Life as Mission and Choice
Life is a permanent choice of what we will do next. Choosing one path or another depends on what I have chosen to be. We are free because each person builds their own life. Human life is something that is made. To make progress means choosing what will be done and, ultimately, choosing a self, a vital project to be carried out, with all the consequences that implies.