Not to Be a Party Man (trans. Dorota Leszczyna)

Abstract

Original: José Ortega y Gasset, „No ser hombre de partido”, w: idem, Obras completas, t. IV (Madrid: Fundación José Ortega y Gasset/Taurus, 2005), 306–313. The consent for the translation and its publication was expressed by the heirs of Ortega, represented by Andreas Ortega Klein

The essay „No ser hombre de partido” by José Ortega y Gasset was published for the first time in the Argentinian magazine La Nación. It has been divided into two parts. The first was published on May 15, 1930. The second was June 3, 1930. The subject of reflection is the problem of “partisanism,” which is considered from two perspectives — metaphysical and social. The first one makes “partisanism” a manifestation of compensation, falsification of one’s being and lack of acceptance for one’s own vocation. The second one indicates that “partisanism” is a historical phenomenon, the beginning of which is the nineteenth century. Then, for the first time, society is understood as a permanent and eternal struggle. This requires as a consequence the constitution of fighting groups, called parties. Ortega, on the other hand, wants to overcome both versions of “partisanism.” Therefore, it is on the side of the authenticity of our individual life and independent of the party, ideas, feelings and values.