Koncepcja powołania w filozofii J. Ortegi y Gasseta

Abstract

According to Ortega y Gasset, life is not given to human beings in a readymade form; instead it is a task. Faced with their own existence, which happens, humans feel inclined to act, to do something, as they realize their insufficiency. Therefore, as Ortega says, people are beings that shape themselves; beings that must define their identities through their actions and thus determine what they themselves will become. That is a fundamental task which human beings must undertake as their life mission, each time taking into account the circumstances that form part of their lives. For Ortega this means that each person should discover their individual vocation. This article attempts to grasp the idea of vocation in Ortega y Gasset’s thought as well as present the place this life category holds in his philosophy. The voice of calling is regarded by Ortega as a radical reality that constitutes and dynamizes life itself. In order to understand your self, you must discover your vocation, which not only manifests itself as an imperative of will, but is also transitive in nature thus open to the meaning of circumstances. However, humans may either account for the voice of calling in their life designs or reject it. A life complete, in which a person finds their true identity – thus an authentic life – is one that contains an answer to their calling.