Ortega y Gasset: Ratio-Vitalism and Historical Reason

Ratio-Vitalism: Mediating Life and Reason

Ratio-vitalism is a development of perspectivism and an attempt to mediate between two radical perspectives: life (vitality) and reason (rationalism). Vitalism is often ambiguous in both biology and philosophy. In biology, it refers to the distinction between living matter and inert matter. In philosophy, it suggests that reason is not the primary way of higher learning; instead, it is the experience of becoming intimate with things. Ortega y Gasset argues that this reduces philosophy to biology and relegates its method.

The Scope of Ortega's Vitalism

Ortega's vitalism defends the scope of the rational method of knowledge, situating the problem of life at the center. Ratio-vitalism is not against reason itself, but against rationalism—the belief that there are no limits on the use of reason, which leads to a blindness toward the irrational and a confusion of things with ideas.

Key Philosophical Pillars

• The Self and Circumstance: "Yo soy yo y mi circunstancia" (I am I and my circumstance). Life is not only the composite of vitality, as Nietzsche suggested, but is also composed of reason.
• Historical Context: We are historical and cultural beings more than biological ones. Historical circumstances determine us, and as Ortega y Gasset noted, generations are related by this shared context.

Characteristics of Life and Reality

The ratio-vitalism of Ortega states:

1. Life: Reality and life stand against pure thought.
2. Reason: Thought exists to account for the laws given by life.
3. Attributes: Life is defined by being personal, circumstantial, free, and responsible.

To understand the fundamental reality of life, one must look at the circumstances. Human action can only be discussed when it is governed by thought.

Ideas and Beliefs: The Dialectic of Thought

The term "idea" is an ambiguous concept. Ortega distinguishes between ideas and beliefs, a distinction comparable to that between reason and life.

• Beliefs: These are what we have and are not disputed; they act as the principle of our action. Philosophy has cast doubt on them. There are two types of certainties: uncritical beliefs and critical ideas.
• Ideas: These are thoughts born of doubt. One lives in beliefs, not ideas, but one can die for ideas and beliefs. Ideas are not reality in the same way beliefs are. The relationship between value-belief and ideas is dialectical. According to Ortega y Gasset, reason is composed of both ideas and beliefs.

Man as a Historical Being

For man, life goes beyond biology and links to history. Man is part of the legacy of ideas and beliefs from his ancestors. He needs to reach a historical consciousness that allows him to extend this inheritance. Historical consciousness is the awareness of being an heir, having received ideas and beliefs. The errors received are as important as the successes.

Truth and the Concept of Aletheia

Truth has a historical nature. Truths arrived at from different perspectives are complementary, just as the perspectives themselves are. Ortega proposes a definition of truth based on the Greek word Aletheia (unveiling). This explains the historical character of truth. As an heir to history, man's plans for the future are based on the past.

The Theory of Generations

To understand history, Ortega proposed a division into three generations: youth, fulfillment, and vanished. These groups share contemporary ideas and beliefs. They also inherit different cultural traditions, meaning generational consciousness exists between peers.