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Ortega y Gasset, José (1883–1955)

DOI
10.4324/9780415249126-DD050-1
DOI: 10.4324/9780415249126-DD050-1
Version: v1,  Published online: 1998
Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://www.rep.routledge.com/articles/biographical/ortega-y-gasset-jose-1883-1955/v-1

Article Summary

The Spanish philosopher Ortega borrowed themes from early twentieth-century German philosophy and applied them with new breadth and urgency to his own context. Calling his philosophy ‘vital reason’ or ‘ratiovitalism’, he employed it initially to deal with the problem of Spanish decadence and later with European cultural issues, such as abstract art and the mass revolt against moral and intellectual excellence. Vital reason is more a method for coping with concrete historical problems than a system of universal principles. But the more disciplined the method became, the deeper Ortega delved into Western history to solve the theoretical and practical dilemmas facing the twentieth century.

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Citing this article:
Orringer, Nelson R.. Ortega y Gasset, José (1883–1955), 1998, doi:10.4324/9780415249126-DD050-1. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Taylor and Francis, https://www.rep.routledge.com/articles/biographical/ortega-y-gasset-jose-1883-1955/v-1.
Copyright © 1998-2024 Routledge.

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