Freedom and Circumstance

This short book provides an introduction to the writings of philosopher Jos Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955), by looking closely at his work entitled "What is Philosophy?" which redefines philosophy for a new era.The author Oswald Sobrino provides original translations from the beautifully written Spanish used by Ortega and provides commentary that guides you, step-by-step, through Ortega's dramatic and vital redefinition of philosophy. This book will hopefully be the first in a series commenting on Ortega's very readable and well-written works.For Ortega, the radical reality that philosophy addresses is our life together with the world around us, with our circumstance. Hence, Ortega's famous dictum that "I am I and my circumstance." Ortega, with literary flair, paints a picture of the drama and urgency of the life of each one of us facing the challenges of our own particular circumstances and a picture of how freedom and decisive responsibility oriented to the future are crucial to our very existence.Oswald Sobrino is a Ph.D. student in Latin and Roman Studies in the Classics Department at the University of Florida, with interests in ancient Roman slavery and Seneca the Younger. He is also interested in and has written on the philosophy of Jos Ortega y Gasset. You can browse in Amazon a now available book series on Ortega y Gasset: Freedom and Circumstance (2011), Philosophy in Don Quixote (2015), Technology and Human Existence (2019), and Mass Mentality: Updating Ortega's Revolt of the Masses (2019).