What was the Revolt of Masses according to Ortega-y-Gasset

What was the Revolt of Masses according to Ortega-y-Gasset

By: Artsiom Sidarchuk

Student Number: 34885

Course:

Western Civilisation II

Course Coordinator:

Ph. D. Krzysztof Łazarski

Date of Submission:

05.12.2012

In the Spanish philosophy of the 20th century Ortega has undoubtfuly taken place not of the "first among the equal”, but the first in the essence of the word. His school has had a huge influence on the whole Spanish speaking world and also on the other European thinkers.

Ortega exposes to us, that the 20th century with its unambiguity creates a new, dissimilar with 19th century historical position, roughly different from all the previous centuries of the world history.

Most obvious and demonstrative indicator of the happened historical shift is observed in the huge increase of population. As the previous century has not just contributed to the development of science and technique, but has also increased the number of human-beings on the planet, especially in large cities: ‘The history of the Roman Empire is also the history of the uprising of the Empire of the Masses, who absorb and annul the directing minorities and put themselves in their place. Then, also, is produced the phenomenon of agglomeration, of "the full." For that reason, as Spengler has very well observed, it was necessary, just as in our day, to construct enormous buildings. The epoch of the masses is the epoch of the colossal’. (Wikiquote.2012)

Accompanying to that, having created new, almost infinite sources of wealth and well-being, it inspired a vast amount of people with a feeling of an easy life, having taken away self-morality, the sense of responsibility for the future, respect for hard labour and to traditions of social ethic and increased influence of sheer masses on superstructures of society. This historical phenomenon is called by H. Ortega -y- Gasset “the revolt of masses”.

A distinctive feature of the modern society became its queer confidence, that it is on top of all previous epochs, asserts Ortega: ‘The primary meaning of the words "modern," "modernity," with which recent times have baptised themselves, brings out very sharply that feeling of "the height of time"[...] the word "modern" then expresses a consciousness of a new life, superior to the old one, and at the same time an imperative call to be at the height of one's time. For the "modern" man, not to be "modern" means to fall below the historic level’ (Wikiquote.2012)

In addition other outstanding features of society became: distraction, reckless and inexplicit sway in terms of time and culture.

He writes, that 19th century became in essence revolutionary, but not because of being known for countless turmoil, but because it put an ordinary human being, thus vast social masses, into absolutely new life circumstances, drastically opposite to the former ones.

The views of Ortega-y-Gasset could not be likened to the Marxist doctrine of the "revolutionary masses" that are making history. For the Spanish philosopher “masses" - are not disadvantaged and exploited workers, ready to revolutionary heroism, but the average individual: ‘The mass is all that which sets no value on itself — good or ill — based on specific grounds, but which feels itself "just like everybody," and nevertheless is not concerned about it; is, in fact, quite happy to feel itself as one with everybody else.’ (Wikiquote.2012)

At the heart of the revolt of the masses, Ortega emphasizes, lays the isolation of the soul of mass man. The point is that the mass man considers himself as perfect, never doubts his perfection, his faith in himself. Closure of the soul deprives him from the awareness of his imperfection, because the only way to this knowledge - is to compare him with others, but then he should even for a moment go beyond his limits, to move to his neighbour.

However, the mass man is not fool. On the contrary, he is really much smarter, much more quick learner than any of his predecessors. But he doesn’t use these features properly, knowing that he has them, he further withdrew into himself and did not use them: ‘Why should he listen if he has within him all that is necessary? There is no reason now for listening, but rather for judging, pronouncing, deciding. There is no question concerning public life, in which he does not intervene, blind and deaf as he is, imposing his opinions’. (Wikiquote.2012)

Ortega writes about the worst of the danger for European civilization, like all other threats, it is born from civilization itself, and, moreover, it is its glory - modern for Jose State. He writes: ‘The mass-man sees in the State an anonymous power, and feeling himself, like it, anonymous, he believes that the State is something of his own[...] in public life of a country some difficulty, conflict, or problem presents itself, the mass-man will tend to demand that the State intervene immediately and undertake a solution directly with its immense and unassailable resources[...]This is the gravest danger that to-day threatens civilisation: State intervention; the absorption of all spontaneous social effort by the State’(Wikiquote.2012)

Even today, the dictate of the state - is the apogee of violence and direct action, raised to the norm. Mass acts wilfully, by itself, through the mechanism of a faceless state.

Written under the influence of the results of the First World War and on the eve of the Second World War Ortega's essay "Revolt of the Masses" was regarded as prophetic, especially considering the following events: the emergence of such examples of social "pathology" as Fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, with their mass conformism, hatred of the humanistic heritage of the past, uncontrolled self-praise and usage of the most primitive tendencies of human nature. ‘No one knows toward what centre human things are going to gravitate in the near future[...]We are in presence of the contradiction of a style of living which cultivates sincerity and is at the same time a fraud. There is truth only in an existence which feels its acts as irrevocably necessary [...]With more vital freedom than ever, we feel that we cannot breathe the air within our nations, because it is confined air.’(Wikiquote.2012)

Subsequently, the "revolt of the masses" was seen by many readers as a prophecy of the coming crash of the West.

References

1. Wikiquote. 2012. José Ortega y Gasset. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Ortega_y_Gasset#The_Revolt_of_the_Masses_.281929.29. [Accessed 05 December 12]

2. José Ortega y Gasset. (1994) The Revolt of the Masses, Reissued edition, London: W. W. Norton & Company.

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