Ratiovitalism: Ortega’s Philosophy of Life and Reason
Ratiovitalism: Ratiovitalism, the vital reason, represents the mature stage of Ortega’s philosophical thought. It is his fundamental contribution, an evolution and realization of perspectivism. This perspective reflects radical perspectives where human beings are situated within the interplay of reason and life. It addresses the false dichotomy of reason as the sole foundation of truth versus life as mere particularity. Ortega critiques both vitalism and rationalism as excesses. He criticizes rationalism for denying zones of irrationality, accusing rationalists of a leap of faith in the unlimited applicability of reason. Ratiovitalism emphasizes the importance of life. While this perspective doesn’t disregard reason, Ortega acknowledges his discomfort with the term “vital,” due to its irrational connotations. Life is the ultimate reality, a radical new reality. To explain this, Ortega proposes a new concept of being—being-in-life.
The thesis of Ratiovitalism:
- Ontological primacy of life. Life is the original reality, preceding thought. Reason must humbly acknowledge life’s precedence. Accepting life as fundamental reality is the hallmark of ratiovitalism. While life’s radical nature challenges human theorizing, this is precisely the task of truth, a revision of Descartes’s “I think, therefore I am” to “I live, therefore I think.”
- The life of interest is not any life, but human life—personal, lived within specific circumstances. These circumstances provide opportunities and limitations, shaping freedom and inevitability. Our lives are our responsibility.
- Human life, distinguished by thought, finds meaning. Thoughtful life involves conscious beings using reason to account for their actions. Thought gives meaning to action, requiring a distancing—contemplation and theorizing—before action.
- Human thought is a continuous process of expansion. Believing we possess all possible knowledge equates knowledge with what we already know, making it absolute and self-limiting. The truly ignorant person is one who believes they know everything. Awareness of ignorance opens new horizons with each new piece of knowledge. Ortega suggests replacing homo sapiens with homo insapiens (the ignorant being). Ideas are tools for navigating the world and fulfilling needs. Ortega distinguishes between ideas (consciously constructed and subject to discussion) and beliefs (unquestioned realities). Harmony between ideas and beliefs is crucial. Doubt, introduced by philosophers, challenges beliefs, leading to the creation of ideas. Skeptics are particularly impactful, pushing beliefs to their limits. Thought arises from this instability; ideas, born of thought, must be protected as human constructs that allow us to distance ourselves from reality. When we step back from lived beliefs, they become ideas, open to acceptance or rejection.