One of the most prominent representatives of twentieth-century Spanish thought is José Ortega y Gasset. "What is philosophy?" - this is a work in which he aims at analyzing the very way in which a person can think of himself in the world. In his lectures, he made it clear that scientists should not despise ordinary people. The latter can also engage in philosophizing. But can all thinking be called that? If not, what are the rules of philosophy? José Ortega y Gasset tried to answer these questions, as well as many others. "What is philosophy?" - software product of the thinker.
short biography
The philosopher was of noble birth. He was born in a family that made him a real intellectual. Many celebrities visited the house, and from childhood, the future Spanish philosopher met famous people and listened to their speeches. He traditionally graduated from a Jesuit college, which in this country gave the widest education, and then entered the University of Madrid. As a doctor of sciences, he continued his studies in the region of Heine and Hegel. But his biography was seriously affected by the Spanish Civil War. The young philosopher became a fierce opponent of the Franco regime. He was forced to emigrate. Returning to his homeland only after the Second World War, he continued to be in opposition to the ruling party. That was he, Jose Ortega y Gasset.
"What is philosophy?" Analysis of the original meaning
This work is a series of lectures that the author gave in 1928. But as a book, it was published only in 1964. Lectures are not like the introductory remarks that teachers usually make before introducing the course. It is also not a brief analysis of how the predecessors interpreted the main issues that have occupied philosophers for thousands of years. Moreover, he is a little provocateur, this Ortega y Gasset. "What is philosophy?" - a name that more disguises the meaning of the work than reveals it. In fact, the thinker is not entirely interested in what this discipline is. He focuses on a completely different issue. What should philosophy be for a modern person and is there any practical benefit in it for ordinary people - these are the main issues that torment him.
Existentialism and its influence
This approach is not unusual for the first half of the twentieth century. At that time, existentialism was extremely popular - a trend that is difficult to characterize unambiguously. But its main feature, uniting all directions, probably, can be called the question of what being is and how it correlates with human life. For the Spanish thinker, this is almost the same thing. Let's see how Ortega y Gasset answers her own question. What is a philosophy? This is a way of life. That is, it is a kind of human being. Therefore, philosophical truth is not some abstract thought. It should come directly from life experience, including everyday life.
Comprehension of the world
What else did Ortega y Gasset want to say in my lectures? "What is philosophy?" - a book that establishes the rules of thinking that a person must adhere to. First of all, it is sincerity, openness and independence. History and society have imposed many different meanings on many problems, trends and questions. The point is not whether they are true or not, but the fact that under their layers the original object is almost completely invisible. Therefore, a real thinker must break through all these layers in order to get to the bottom of the original subject, to the world itself in its primitiveness, as the philosopher puts it. And only by studying it yourself, you can consider whether the traditional meanings are true or not.
Subjective truth
Ortega y Gasset also raises this problem. "What is philosophy?" -product, which contains an interesting thesis that the question of authenticity or error does not matter much if we do not take into account the position of the thinker. How true is he, how much is he manipulated? After all, it also depends on what conclusion he will come to. And the reliability of his work cannot be verified without first determining whether the thinker had a desire to reach the truth or just play along with general trends, what was then considered true. Perhaps if you look at the history of philosophy from this point of view, it will turn out to be completely different from the one we are used to.
This difference between philosophical reflection and the accuracy of science is dedicated to a special section in the course that Ortega y Gasset read ("What is philosophy?", Lecture 3). That is why a very important point in determining the truth or falsehood of a teaching is the biography of its author. Indeed, the life path of any philosopher reflects his spiritual wanderings, doubts, the path to the truth or from it. At the same time, it allows the works of any real thinker to stand above time and engage in dialogue with modern people. That is why we are able to read and understand the works of the past.
