THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF ORTEGA Y GASSET

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE ORTEGUIAN ONTOLOGY TO THE CRITICAL STUDIES OF SUBJECTIVITY

Abstract

This paper develops elements of the philosophy of Ortega y Gasset, which contribute to the construction of the field of critical studies of subjectivity. Specifically, the paper: (i) describes some principles to delimit the field of critical studies of subjectivity; (ii) highlights negativity as a guiding principle for theoretical approaches and ontological and epistemological foundations of this new field of study; iii) reviews the notions of historical reason, interpretation and the radical importance of language as constitutive of an ontology that gives rise to ineffability, inapprehensibility, and deficiency as a negative force; and iv) identify in the notion of Orteguian authenticity some possible limits of this ontology for an appropriate critique of the field of study of subjectivity.