Ortega, bio-logy, and the origin of religion

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63487/reo.165

Keywords:

Ortega y Gasset, Vital Reason, Biology, Evolution, Religion

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of the evolutionary origins of religion. The two most established biological theories –which understand religion as a by-product and as an adaptation, respectively– are compared with Ortega's proposals on this matter. It is shown how Ortega's philosophy of vital reason constitutes a very useful framework to systematically understand the data and discoveries provided by the new biological sciences.

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Author Biography

Marcos Alonso, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Chile

He is a professor/researcher at the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Adolfo Ibáñez University, Viña del Mar, Chile. Doctor of Philosophy. His areas of research include Philosophy of Technology, Applied Ethics, Bioethics, Anthropology, and Spanish Philosophy. His publications include: “The Ambivalence of Technology,” Pensamiento. Journal of Research and Philosophical Information, vol. 73, no. 276, Special Series no. 8, 2017; “The Bio-Ecology of Ortega y Gasset,” Pensamiento. Journal of Research and Philosophical Information, vol. 75 (15/01/2019), no. 283; and “Technology in Ortega: Beyond Meditation on Technology,” Journal of Ortega Studies, no. 38, 2019.

References

ALONSO, M. (2019a): “La bio-ecología de Ortega y Gasset”, Pensamiento. Revista de investigación e Información filosófica, vol. 75, nº 283, pp. 203-218.

— (2019b): “Razón vital como bio-logía. La filosofía de Ortega y su relación con la ciencia biológica”, Ludus Vitalis, vol. XXVII, nº 51, 2019, pp. 43-66.

BENAVIDES LUCAS, M. (1988): De la ameba al monstruo propicio. Raíces naturalistas del pensamiento de Ortega y Gasset. Madrid: Ediciones de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

GOULD, S. y LEWONTIN, R. (1979): “The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme”, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences (1934-1990), vol. 205, nº 1161, pp. 581-598.

MOLINUEVO, J. L. (1994): Introducción, en José ORTEGA Y GASSET, Epílogo: Notas de Trabajo. Edición de José Luis Molinuevo. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.

ORTEGA Y GASSET, J. (1994): Epílogo: Notas de Trabajo. Edición de José Luis Molinuevo. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.

— (2004-2010): Obras completas. 10 vols. Madrid: Fundación José Ortega y Gasset / Taurus.

POWELL, R. y CLARKE, S. (2012): “Religion as an Evolutionary Byproduct: A Critique of the Standard Model”, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 63 (3), pp. 457-486.

WILSON, D. S. y WILSON, E. O. (2007): “Rethinking the Theoretical Foundation of Sociobiology”, The Quarterly Review of Biology, 82 (4), pp. 327-348.

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Published

2020-11-01 — Updated on 2020-11-01

How to Cite

Alonso, M. (2020). Ortega, bio-logy, and the origin of religion. Revista De Estudios Orteguianos, (41), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.63487/reo.165

Issue

No. 41 (2020)

Section

Ponencias