Człowiek i wspólnota w koncepcji filozoficznej José Ortegy y Gasseta

The following reflection presents man and community in the philosophy of José Ortega y Gasset – the most eminent Spanish philosopher, essayist and columnist since Suarez, and at the same time a witness and an exponent of the 20th century deep crisis in Spain and Europe. Man presented in this conception is not alone and he appears in a social relation as the other in touch with the first one; as the one who reciprocates. The community in which he abides is the principle of defining man, it is his structure in which the man coming to this world sees already an Other man living. What we have here is the Other who precedes “I” in time, as well as in terms of structure. The existing “I” as if inaugurates being a man through the participation in the relation as the Other and in relation to the First One. The truth of “I” does not come from the Other because it is achieved in loneliness. Therefore, this is the „I” that reaches the truth of oneself, yet only when it distances itself from the Other. In the initial stage “I” is open to the Other. The Spanish philosopher believes that “the appearing of somebody else and other is a fact that always stays at the background of life because when we are amazed by our own life for the first time, we are not only already with others and among others, but we are also used to them.” This in turn results in formulating the first social rule: man a nativitate is open to somebody else, to an alien creature. Man is a nativitate so he is always open to the Other, namely able to pay attention to the Other as present and different from oneself.