José Ortega y Gasset: Life, Philosophy, and Influence
José Ortega y Gasset: Life and Times
José Ortega y Gasset was born in Madrid in 1883 to a wealthy family. He studied at the Jesuit College of Malaga. His maternal grandfather founded the newspaper El Imparcial, which his father later directed. Consequently, Ortega y Gasset grew up in a cultured environment, linked to the world of journalism and politics. He began his studies at the University of Deusto in Bilbao and continued at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Madrid. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy and studied in Germany, where he became familiar with Neo-Kantianism, phenomenology, and the work of Martin Heidegger. Back in Spain, he was appointed professor of Psychology, Logic, and Ethics. In 1914, he had a daughter who later created the Ortega y Gasset Foundation, of which she became president. In 1917, he was forced to discontinue his collaboration with El Imparcial but joined the collaboration of El Sol, where he published two important works: The Revolt of the Masses and Invertebrate Spain. In 1923, he founded the Revista de Occidente, from which he promoted the translation of the most important philosophical and scientific trends of the time, including works by Hans Driesch, Friedrich Müller, and Bertrand Russell. He ran the magazine until 1936, after which his children took over.
He served as a deputy in the Constituent Cortes of the Second Republic but later abandoned his participation in the Republic. When the Spanish Civil War began in 1936, he was ill at home but went into exile. His presence in Spain subsequently decreased. He returned to Madrid, where he died in 1955.
Historical Context of 20th Century Spain
The 20th century was characterized by continuous agitation: political and ideological shifts from the old regime, technological advancements, and the rise of liberal and parliamentary regimes. The labor movement grew, leading to the formation of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the British Labour Party. In Spain, the late 19th century saw the Restoration of Alfonso XII, who restored peace to the country, ending the Carlist Wars and curbing nationalist movements. When the king died, the “turnista” system proposed by Antonio Cánovas del Castillo was implemented. During this time, the country experienced growth and development, but political corruption fueled a crisis in 1898, during which Spain lost the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. Spain entered a deep crisis, and nationalist movements emerged alongside the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE). In 1936, Francisco Franco’s coup d’état took place, leading to the Spanish Civil War. After the war, Franco’s dictatorship was established. With Franco’s death, the constitutional monarchy was restored under Juan Carlos I.
Cultural and Intellectual Climate
In the cultural sphere, the birth of cinema occurred, and art movements like Cubism, led by Pablo Picasso, emerged. The Generation of ’98 appeared, denouncing the loss of identity in Spain. Subsequently, the Generation of ’14 emerged, to which Ortega y Gasset belonged, with a more positive outlook than their predecessors. The Free Institution of Education was created, and the School of Madrid and the School of Barcelona played significant roles. It is also important to note the number of authors who were exiled during the Civil War. In the field of science, Albert Einstein’s theories, along with the contributions of Santiago Ramón y Cajal and Severo Ochoa, were prominent.
Philosophical Influences and Ortega’s Thought
In the 20th century, two main schools of thought existed in Europe: vitalism, which considers that the essence of reality is not just reason, and historicism, which holds that history is the most important element for humans. As a result of these trends, the philosophy of Ortega y Gasset emerged, incorporating the concepts of vital reason and historical reason. Thinkers were concerned with the relationship between knowledge and reality. Ortega y Gasset considered the linguistic aspect as a starting point to understand being. The renewal movement promoted by Francisco Giner de los Ríos and the Free Institution of Education, along with Krausism, which stemmed from a pessimistic view of Spain, was particularly important. Notable figures include Miguel de Unamuno and Ortega y Gasset, among others. Ortega y Gasset’s intellectual life can be divided into two periods: perspectivism (1914-1923), during which he took a critical look at idealism and realism, and ratio-vitalism (1923-1955), during which he distanced himself from the idealism of Immanuel Kant.