Ortega: a philosophy of technology pioneer

Abstract

In this paper, I will present the philosophy of technology of the 20th century Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset. As I will show, Ortega’s reflections upon technology (or technique, the term he preferred) are some of the very first we can find in the philosophical tradition, a pioneer’s role that he is rarely credited for. Nevertheless, Ortega’s thoughts on technology have much more interest than a mere historic value; something I will try to demonstrate by explaining two of his most important concepts regarding technology: the idea of “superfluous necessities” and the concept of “supranature”. These two powerful ideas, along with Ortega’s deep philosophical and anthropological system, will be defended as an underused paradigm from where we can try to understand the technologized world of today