»The Mass Man« or On the Role of Philosophy in Education Cover Image

»Čovjek mase« ili o ulozi filozofije u obrazovanju
»The Mass Man« or On the Role of Philosophy in Education

Deliberation of Ortega y Gasset

Author(s): Tomislav Krznar
Subject(s): Education, Epistemology, Political Philosophy, Social Philosophy, Contemporary Philosophy
Published by: Hrvatsko Filozofsko Društvo
Keywords: José Ortega y Gasset; “the mass man”; philosophy; education; creativity; self creation;

Summary/Abstract: In this paper the author tries to give some basic insight into the philosophy of the Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset, particularly bearing in mind the role of philosophy in the contemporary education. In the complexity of the topic the author tries to dismember three dimensions. In the first part author seeks to outline the phenomenon of “mass man” especially having in mind the nature of its origin as well as the characteristics of its structure. The second dimension is related to the Ortega y Gasset’s understanding of the role of university in the modern society. Here the author – throughout Ortega y Gasset’s perspective – is trying to answer a simple question: why the society needs a university, or better, what is its role in education? The third dimension of paper is related to an attempt of discerning of Ortega y Gasset’s understanding of philosophy. The author is trying to reach out to answer the question: why is there a philosophy, or rather, whether it is really necessary to human? The basic position that the author tries to outline is related to the fundamental message of Ortega y Gasset’s philosophy: person must build his/her authentic existence in the dynamism of circumstances. Philosophy, says Ortega y Gasset, is a necessary part of that operation, in particular, human self-creation.

  • Issue Year: 35/2015
  • Issue No: 04/140
  • Page Range: 645-656
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Croatian