José Ortega y Gasset: Philosophy of Vital Reason and Perspectivism
The Meaning of Philosophy
For Ortega, philosophy is vital. Human beings have a vital need to understand the universe and “all there is.” However, philosophy currently finds itself at a dead end due to the opposition between realism and idealism, which it must now overcome.
Critique of Realism and Idealism
Ortega criticizes idealism for considering the subject as the axis around which reality revolves. He also criticizes realism for considering the subject merely a part of reality. Ortega understands
Read MoreNietzsche’s Critique of Western Philosophy and Culture
Nietzsche’s Critique of Plato
Central to Nietzsche’s critique are the concepts of Socrates and Plato. In short, both Plato and Socrates steered our culture in the wrong direction, the result of a fear of life. The Apollonian element was imposed by these two authors, rejecting the Dionysian, the truly vital. This denial was made, in Plato, through the following aspects.
Nietzsche criticizes the Platonic ontology, which proposes two worlds: the sensible and the ideal. It is in this ideal world where,
Read MoreLudwig Wittgenstein’s Philosophy of Language: From Logic to Pragmatics
The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s thought must be framed within Bertrand Russell’s analytical tradition, inspired by positivist empiricism. Russell, Wittgenstein’s mentor, developed an interest in mathematics that led to the concept of figurative language. Wittgenstein, influenced by G.E. Moore, also became interested in issues of moral character. Wittgenstein believed that philosophy should be based on the analysis of language. For him, logical language immediately reveals the logical structure
Read MoreSelf-Recognition, Play, and Plato’s Philosophy of Justice
The Stadium in the Mirror
Lacan was a French psychoanalyst of the twentieth century. According to Lacan, all babies go through the mirror stage, which is essential for the formation of personality. The baby, between 6 and 18 months, reaches a moment of recognition in the mirror and a moment of joy and enthusiasm.
This stage is very important for the formation of the “ego” personality. The individual’s identity is essential to identify with some image, but it is also the first trap: the child is identified
Read MoreMoral Action, Ethics, and Human Behavior: A Comprehensive Analysis
Moral Man and Moral Action
Moral man is responsible to himself: he is responsible for what he does, and is a moral being.
Free Moral Action
The free and open character of the action makes the human being responsible for his actions. This is the basic moral character: when the subject acts in accordance with the rules, he acts properly (is moral); when he decides freely, he acts incorrectly (is immoral). But in any case, failing to act within the framework of this code of regulations (or observing them
Read MoreKant’s Critique of Pure Reason: A Summary
According to the Kantian project, whose goal is to make a critique of reason, Kant has to answer four questions. The first is, “What do I know?” This question is answered in the Critique of Pure Reason. Rationalism and empiricism are the two philosophical currents that predominated in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Rationalism, on the basis of innate ideas, and empiricism, encrypting the source of our knowledge in experience, conclude with Hume, who argues that we cannot strictly know
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