Ortega y Gasset: The Philosophy of Vital Reason
Ortega y Gasset's Concept of Philosophy
Ortega's concept of philosophy posits that man is not known or defined solely by his function as a knower; knowledge is something man does within life. Life is something to do; it is therefore insecure, and man seeks certainty to know what to expect. Life is based on a set of beliefs; when they fail, man is forced to think and form ideas about things. Man exists in an intermediate state of not fully knowing. The edge of philosophy is the search for a radical certainty that allows us to know what to expect in life.
A Critique of Realism and Idealism
The overriding reality is life, which is the coexistence of the self with things. This represents a new ontology for the ancient conception that no longer works. Realism is the attitude assuming that things really are independent of the self, being by itself. In idealism, the primary reality is the self; things exist for me as my thoughts and relate to my life. Ortega considers both concepts to be erroneous.
The Self and Circumstance: Vital and Historical Reason
Ortega famously stated, "I am myself and my circumstance." Things cannot be independent of me, nor did I create things; the true reality is the self with things. The phrase "I am myself and my circumstances" implies that the surrounding reality forms the other half of me. Furthermore, everyone has their own perspective of reality, and each life is a unique view of the universe. The conclusion is that each person is irreplaceable and necessary.
Pure reason must be replaced by vital reason. If reason is a function of life, then vital reason is the act of living, where one has no choice but to argue before the facts. This reason constitutes both vital and historical reason.
Life as the Fundamental and Radical Reality
The fundamental and radical reality is life. It is radical because it is the reality in which all others lie. It is the coexistence of the self with things, which are inseparable. Unlike realism, idealism, or an absolute independent being, coexistence is the way I exist in the world. One must understand that this life—my life, our life—is what we are, what we do, and what happens to us.
The Essential Attributes of Human Life
Nothing would constitute our lives if we did not account for it; life is lived and felt alive. It is a reality that has the privilege of existing for itself. To live is to be in the world, busy with the things in the world. Our life is not only our person but also part of our world; thus, our life depends not only on how we are but how our world is.
We live in a specific part of the world, in a place we can change, yet we do not choose the world in which we live; life is imposed or thrown. We must model this life at every moment. Deciding to live is necessarily deciding what we will be. Therefore, one can say that life is futurition—it is that which is not yet.