La Rebelion de las Masas

by
José Ortega y Gasset

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La Rebelion de las Masas

by José Ortega y Gasset

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 935 ratings · 56 reviews

Social upheaval in early twentieth-century Europe is the historical setting for this seminal study by the Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset of the 'mass man'-the phenomenon of mass culture that more than any other factor stamps the character of modern life.

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Published (first published 1929)

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Jun 20, 2010 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a remarkable extended essay by Ortega, who cast his discerning eye upon Europe in 1930 in an effort to assess a continent that, it was claimed, was transitioning into a decline from its prior global preeminence. Probing this malaise, Ortega proffers in explanation the startling rise of the mass-man, a foreseeable product of the nineteenth century's unprecedented population increase due to its enthusiastic embrace of technicist liberal democracy. This promotion of democracy, capitalism, a...more This is a remarkable extended essay by Ortega, who cast his discerning eye upon Europe in 1930 in an effort to assess a continent that, it was claimed, was transitioning into a decline from its prior global preeminence. Probing this malaise, Ortega proffers in explanation the startling rise of the mass-man, a foreseeable product of the nineteenth century's unprecedented population increase due to its enthusiastic embrace of technicist liberal democracy. This promotion of democracy, capitalism, and science had risen the historic level of Western European society to a domineering height; yet the resultant modernized civilization it created was a state of affairs taken for granted by the mass-man, the coarse majority who passed their days oblivious of their obligation to society even as they demanded of it every right, who reveled in low-culture and the selfish pursuit of pleasure whilst scorning any who attempted to stand out from the crowd through excellence in thought, duty, or deed. Ortega took pains to make clear that mass-man was not a construct of class or money, but crossed all spectrums of society; he existed wherever the base was favored over the noble, the easy over the difficult, sufficient unto himself in his cultural barbarity and lacking any desire (since perceiving no need) for betterment. Without respect for the minorities who formerly guided the great European nations to their advanced achievements, the masses were languishing in countries rudderless and without purpose, while communism and fascism threatened to destroy all that democracy had achieved, if for no other reason than the two systems offered a purpose to capture the apathetic attention of the beleaguered Western countries. In addition to his rumination on the ascendency of the ignoble mass-man Ortega included an extended examination of the creation, and sustaining memes, of the nation state; the rise and fall of the historic level throughout the ages; the perils of compartmentalizing occupations and straitening minds under the rigorous, isolating guise of specialism, a necessary precursor for the ignorance of the masses; and offered an earlier version of the European Union as a project worthy of the cramped genius of the Western European nations and a means to energize the selfish majorities and provoke them into a concerted effort to ensure the continuance of the vitally important modern European culture.

This book has been continuously in print in English since 1932, and it doesn't take long to see why: Ortega writes in graceful-but-clear prose, and his brilliant and thoughtful analysis is engaging and persuasive. Although the mass-man he outlined was a European entity, his existence has continued on through today, as can be determined by a short examination of any community, or fifteen minutes of television. It is curious how, in examining the reasons for mass society's loss of faith in its governing and higher institutions, he spares little attention to the First World War, an extended slaughter that was enacted for such inane and purposeless reasons that they would test the faith of the most ardent believer in European destiny; and his pronouncement of a 1930 US, having never suffered, as being unready and unable to take up the mantle of global leadership was clearly wrong. Other than these points, however, he has proved remarkably prescient in his predictions and cautions, especially of the futility of attempts to reverse-engineer time by voiding liberal democracy, and the necessity of the pursuit of European union as the next logical process in the evolution of civilization on the still-eminent continent - and the mass-man will seemingly always exist wherever modern societies lack a cohesive purpose or direction, and instead allow their citizens to bask in the fruits of society's abundance while demanding naught but calendar-delimited votes and a steady expenditure of their (ofttimes meagre) savings. To paraphrase the great Spaniard, the historic level may be at an all-time high, but life is lived in the valleys where what is sown is reaped.(less)

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Chris Great comment, AC. I'm swamped with deadlines at work, so this thread will probably peter out soon from my end, but you've given me some intriguing op...more Great comment, AC. I'm swamped with deadlines at work, so this thread will probably peter out soon from my end, but you've given me some intriguing options for a more focussed exploration of the roots and structures of fascism. I've read plenty of books that touch upon it tangentially, sometimes in deeper detail, but I've yet to read a specific work that explores its roots en masse, and have decided I'm long overdue. Of course, there's a thousand other subjects that also clamor for their share of that ever-so-precious time available for reading, but when isn't that the case? :)

I was being facetious about Goldberg - I guess it doesn't come through so well in text. He's already at the bottom of the list of books I intend to read having fascism as their theme; and the tomes you've suggested have only added to the weight of the pile that is bearing down upon him. I agree with you about his role in the punditocracy and the measure of his book - I recall him asking for volunteers to sum up political writers he hadn't time to research himself over at National Review. AFAIC, it's simply more fuel for the Left/Right bifurcation that distracts the public and keeps them occupied with trivialities. I also see the Beck-et-al resentment populism as fitting quite comfortably into Ortega's characterization of the Mass-Man. We don't get to see much of Glenn Beck here in Canadastan, but the little I've seen is so over the top and silly that I almost wonder if he isn't, in fact, a Democrat performing a stealth operation of sublime skill.

Interestingly enough, in TROTM Ortega did not believe fascism (or communism) would have much of a shelf life - calling them both false dawns - principally because, being anti-enlightenment and an attempt to turn back the clock on what liberal democracy had already achieved, they were fighting an uphill battle of such a precipitous steepness that it would require a remarkable series of supporting events if it was to triumph for any length of time. In his view, if fascism had attempted to digest the effects of liberal democracy, absorbing and utilizing what it had already accomplished, it would be a much more permanently potent adversarial political system; however, since he deemed it little but resentment and nationalist populism loudly shouting NO! at the Western world, he didn't give it much of a chance. In 1930 that must have been deemed a curious position to take - and certainly he might have changed his opinion if a fascist party gained the reins of power in France or England via harnessing the masses' latent directionless energy, a threat he cautioned against in the book.(less)
updated Aug 21, 2010 11:55am

AC Lots of interesting points you make. Because Communism is derived from a specific set of axioms, it probably cannot adapt itself much; but as fascism...more
Jun 25, 2010 06:10am

Mar 27, 2008 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jim by: Prof. Michael Weinstein. He assigned it more than recommended it

Shelves: philosophy, non-fiction, favorites

I first read this for a political theory class as an undergrad; at the time I pestered everyone around me with recitations of Ortegan thought. The more I re-read it, the more I'm convinced that Ortega's ideas are still applicable, even though the book came out in 1930. (If only my roommates had listened, they'd be so much smarter now.)

Basically, Ortega says that the central feature of modernity is an unwillingness by the mass (which included people from all social classes) to pay deference to pe...more I first read this for a political theory class as an undergrad; at the time I pestered everyone around me with recitations of Ortegan thought. The more I re-read it, the more I'm convinced that Ortega's ideas are still applicable, even though the book came out in 1930. (If only my roommates had listened, they'd be so much smarter now.)

Basically, Ortega says that the central feature of modernity is an unwillingness by the mass (which included people from all social classes) to pay deference to people, culture, institutions he termed 'select'. In a democratic society, we'd say a healthy sense of skepticism for authority is a good thing, but that's not what he was writing about.

Instead, Ortega's mass-man was supremely self-centered, threatened by greater intellect or knowledge, refinement, superior skill, etc. Rather than respecting people with such attributes, the mass feels compelled to ridicule them and tear them down. One can hear echoes of this attitude in the phrase, 'Sure he's smart, but it's all from books. He has no common sense.'

The mass-man isn't content to wallow in pop culture and kitsch (and who doesn't love a good wallow?), but he feels compelled to ridicule anyone who might enjoy high culture. (As someone who has taught high school students, I can tell you that the adolescent who loves literature, likes classical music, or appreciates art probably needs to develop a thick skin. Or keep those enthusiasms a secret. This is especially true for boys.)

Ortega was a liberal republican who was opposed to the political tendency to cater to people's base emotions.
His special target was the señorito satisfecho (satisfied little gentleman), educated, bourgeois (or petit bourgeois), smug, mistaking specialized knowledge for expertise in all things. Ortega saw this social type as marked by a self-satisfied ignorance that they fought hard to maintain. As a group, they turned out to be some of the most ardent supporters of the fascist movements that dominated Europe in the 1930s and into the 40s.

One of the great things for the casual reader of philosophy is that Ortega was committed to widely disseminating ideas and wrote in an accessible style. The downside of this book is that one goes away from it with the sense that the situatuion Ortega describes isn't going to get better.(less)

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May 06, 2007 Benjamin added it · review of another edition

Shelves: the-crowd

Not sure what to say about Ortega y Gasset other than that he's a conspicuous elitist, without necessarily being aristocratic or absolutely class-conscious in his elitism; the mass-man is the self-satisfied man, the man who doesn't look beyond himself for meaning or challenge (shades of Lukacs' "transcendental homelessness") -- which is a state of affairs that comes about through the brute fact of plenitude: more people enjoying more goods as their rights (rather than as fruits of their own stru...more

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Feb 25, 2010 Matthew W rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A good analysis of the mass-man mind of intellectual barbarism. You know, the kind of people you see everyday, that feel confident in their ignorance and seek to stomp out any viewpoint that diverges from their safe fantasy world. You know, the majority of the American population that can only see the pseudo-dichotomies of "democrat" and "republican" or "liberal" and "conservative." A great example everyday of the typical mass-minded individual are those people that refuse to watch a film with s...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Ed rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ortega y Gasset is popular again in some circles--it makes sense that he, and "The Revolt of the Masses" in particular, is since his analysis of the social and political order in 1930 seems so incisive today. For example he could be describing the clown show in Washington over the past couple of years, particularly in the Congress when he wrote in "Revolt": "And yet public authority – the Government – exists from hand to mouth, it does not offer itself as a frank solution for the future, it repr...more

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Feb 02, 2010 max rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I first encountered this thought-provoking work in an intellectual history class I took as an undergraduate. Published in 1932, the author (1885-1955), a Spanish philosopher and intellectual leader of the Spanish Republican government, charts a dismal picture of Western civilization in the 20th century. Following is a review I posted on Amazon in 1997.

This book ... is a work of extraordinary prescience, the full import of which will continue to be measured well into future ages. Against the back...more

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Dec 15, 2010 Ritiel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a book about the past and the future. Lessons of the past as well as "prophecies" are presented. Ortega y Gasset precisely predicts many events and changes that happened throught the XX century.

The book is divided in two main subjects, the "mass-man" and the European so called decadence towards the rest of the world, and according to him this things are intertwined. The first part is a detailed dissertation about the origins and the characteristics of this incautios man that does not und...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Brian Frank rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Took me a few years to get around to reading this -- odd because it's the best-known book by one of my very favourite philosophers. But I've got a lot more affinity for Ortega's more rigorous philosophical ideas than his political and cultural criticism, which has a shorter shelf life.

It's interesting to see him apply his ideas to real issues, but it's also discouraging to see some of his positions become either dated (it was published in 1930) or fairly common opinions.

We've now got a ton of...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If I ever thought a book was good, this book is in another stratosphere. I want to say it is genius. However, it could be that I happened upon a writer I agree with at a margin of 99.999%. So in other words, it could be that it is not the book that is good, it's just that I like it.

By the way, the revolt is due to self-satisfaction and taking things for granted, the urge to tear down rather than build up. As well, being born into a comfortable society, while having no effort toward its developm...more

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Aug 30, 2007 Simon A. Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy, non-fiction-memoir, political

For me this book will always be called "How I learned to stop worrying and love the Elitists!"

Seriously, this book goes a long way in describing the chasm between intellectuals and the masses and why, despite the fact that the masses are an overpowering steam roller, it is admirable to deny the urge to follow.

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Mar 25, 2013 Pedro Garcia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A pesar de que este libro tiene casi 100 años, lo he encontrado muy aplicable a la situación actual de la construcción europea, que Ortega ya defendía en aquella época. Ciertas ideas de Ortega son muy elitistas, otras anacrónicas, pero el análisis que hace es de una sorprendente actualidad.

Algunas citas que he anotado:

(view spoiler)...more A pesar de que este libro tiene casi 100 años, lo he encontrado muy aplicable a la situación actual de la construcción europea, que Ortega ya defendía en aquella época. Ciertas ideas de Ortega son muy elitistas, otras anacrónicas, pero el análisis que hace es de una sorprendente actualidad.

Algunas citas que he anotado:

(view spoiler)(less)

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Aug 24, 2007 M.i.a rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people willing to reread the same sentence over and over and over......

If you think we live in a world of "us and thems" and enjoy spitting in the air and letting the spit land in your own face, then this book is for you.

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Oct 01, 2012 Juan Rodriguez monti rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a great book. It shows a really deep picture of Spain in that epoch.

What impressed me of this work are the similarities of the things that happened in Spain at that time with lots of things that I see and live everyday in my country ( Argentina ). I agree with the author, specially, with some impressions, descriptions, and toughts about the so-called "middle-class".

Its a good book. The downside of the book is that some parts are really slow and boring. Is that kind of book that has lots...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Aaron rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An excellent book... Ortega y Gasset's style and particular brand of erudition are a fascinating pleasure to read. The main concern of this thesis - the rise of a new 'mass-man' in the wake of the the triumph of democratic liberalism and technicism in the 19th century, and the nature of this man's existence - is a concern that has pressed and continues to press most tellingly on all aspects of public life: from arts and culture to political rule and economic-material wellbeing. It is a startling...more

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Jan 15, 2009 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: great-books-group, philosophy

As one advances in life, one realizes more and more that the majority of men - and of women - are incapable of any other effort than that strictly imposed on them as a reaction to external compulsion. And for that reason, the few individuals we have come across who are capable of a spontaneous and joyous effort stand out isolated, monumentalized, so to speak, in our experience. These are the select men, the nobles, the only ones who are active and not merely reactive, for whom life is a perpetua...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Louis Bouchard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a very interesting work on the sociological and political states of modern society, with some words on how we got here. (in this case 1930)
Much of it remains relevant in our time.
It's important to read the whole thing. I brought up objections to what I considered an oversimplification, to later find that he elaborates on the idea to my satisfaction.

In all, I found it a very worthwhile read, even if I was already familiar with some of the ideas presented. Some of the observations are true...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Ola Juchacz rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ze wszystkich stron jestem bombardowana twierdzeniami, że wszelkie teorie i domniemania tego dzieła należy traktować z przymrużeniem oka: ze względu na czasy, w których powstało, na ówczesną sytuację polityczną, na klasę, z której autor się wywodził.
Nie chcę jednak przymykać oka na powierzchowność sądów, wszechobecne wartościowanie nie znajdujące najmniejszego poparcia w badaniach jakościowych wykraczających poza toporny psychologizm i deklaracje apolityczności mające maskować brak spójności w...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Reginaldo Almeida rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Written in 1929, this book seems to have been written yesterday, so accurate it is regarding our social decay. It depicts very clearly the 90% of the masses who hang on Facebook. Everybody nowadays has an opinion about everything, every subject, and most of the time a wrong opinion, consequence of shallow knowledge and understanding, and perhaps the data deluge and the easiness of information propagation. This book depicts 21th century median man.

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May 17, 2010 Tim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A wonderful social critique by Gasset. With chapter titles such as "the barbarism of 'specialization'" and "the greatest danger, the state" you know your in conservative country. But the chapter called "the self-satisfied age" is wonderful. It warns what happens to the middle classes when they become spoiled and entitled. In short, they become barbarians. A prophetic book. Let's hope our country isn't too far gone!!

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Mar 10, 2012 Jonathan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

This was occasionally thought provoking. However the occasional tenancy for sentences become convoluted or simply wander off on a tangent was distracting. And unfortunately some of the more interested items, at least to me, were ones that the book didn't provide support or argument for; simply passed off as self evident. Further that authors tenancy to redefine words or concepts without explaining how they were being used until much later hurt the readability of the work.

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Apr 24, 2013 Karlene rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

He's kind of an ass and ironically puts himself into some hypocritical positions in my opinion, BUT he does make some very undeniable points, specifically about how one contextualizes him/herself (or rather, doesn't) in human history. He's not a bad writer either, which always makes it go down a little easier. I'll need to read it again as I rushed through it in a day's time for a paper deadline.

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Dec 26, 2010 Arbitrista rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A fascinating bit of writing from a different time. Although Ortega's writing isn't as careful as I'm used to, he has some very interesting things to say about the failure to understand the social and intellectual underpinnings of modern life. However, I don't think his first point (that people take modernity for granted) coheres very well from the argument from the second half of his book about a unified Europe.

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Oct 21, 2012 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A riveting and trenchant analysis of how the erosion of Europe's moral and visionary foundation has resulted in the ascendency of a majority (the masses of the title) who consider themselves entitled to the benefits of the advanced civilization they've been born into without realizing the moral and political underpinnings which make it possible. They are, to be flagrantly topical, Mitt Romney's 47%!

Unfortunately, Ortega y Gasset leaves for another book details about the "doctrine of human existe...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Darran Mclaughlin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is simply one of the worst books I have ever read. It is filled with pompous assertions that are not backed up by any attempt at sustained argument or evidence. Here is a choice selection from this waste of trees.
'I know well that many of my readers do not think as I do. This is most natural and confirms the theorem. For although my opinion turn out erroneous, there will always remain the fact that many of those dissentient readers have never given five minutes' thought to this complex matt...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Brad Pruitt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Erudite yet easy to digest. Ortega rightly observes the entitlement mentality of those who stand on the shoulders of great peoples while militating against the very society and exceptionalism that created the means for such entitlement. A timeless (and timely) work.

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Dec 07, 2010 Italo Machado rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ache a tradução excelente, mas não li o original... Livro verdadeiramente essencial nesses tempos de coletivismos e protecionismos latentes. Qualquer página é bela por si mesma, atestando o livro mais bem escrito que já li e de que enho notícia.

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May 05, 2013 Piotr Pietrzak rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is timeless... strongly recommended to those who still believe that revolutions can bring about a lasting change to sociaties at large

by Piotr Pietrzak
Author of the prospects for humanitarian intervention in Syria

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Feb 04, 2009 Javi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novel

This book helps to explain the place of Spanish philosophy at international level. The point made in this work can be safely summarized in two pages, including all the details you may want. Even so, worth reading.

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Mar 09, 2011 Prakhar Bindal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Prophesied the 20th century's debauchery of democracy and science, the barbarism of the specialist, and the inevitable fatuity of public opinion. Explained the genius of capitalist elites.

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Oct 20, 2010 Fred R rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amazing, fascinating. I vaguely remember Bellow having mentioned him in some book or another, but I am now certain it had a very large impact on at least Augie March and Sammler's Planet.

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About José Ortega y Gasset

José Ortega y Gasset was a Spanish liberal philosopher and essayist working during the first half of the 20th century while Spain oscillated between monarchy, republicanism and dictatorship. He was, along with Kant, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche, a proponent of the idea of perspectivism.

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Books by José Ortega y Gasset

The Dehumanization of Art and Other Essays on Art, Culture, and Literature (Princeton Paperbacks, 128)

History as a System and other Essays Toward a Philosophy of History

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Quotes from La Rebelion de las Masas

“We feel that we actual men have suddenly been left alone on the earth; that the dead did not die in appearance only but effectively; that they can no longer help us. Any remains of the traditional spirit have evaporated. Models, norms, standards are no use to us. We have to solve our problems without any active collaboration of the past, in full actuality, be they problems of art, science, or politics. (...) It is not easy to formulate the impression that our epoch has of itself; it believes itself more than all the rest, and at the same time feels that it is a beginning. What expression shall we find for it? Perhaps this one: superior to other times, inferior to itself. Strong, indeed, and at the same time uncertain of its destiny; proud of its strength and at the same time fearing it.” — 3 people liked it

“For there is no doubt that the most radical division that it is possible to make of humanity is that which splits it into two classes of creatures: those who make great demands on themselves, piling up difficulties and duties; and those who demand nothing special of themselves, but for whom to live is to be every moment what they already are, without imposing on themselves any effort towards perfection; mere buoys that float on the waves.” — 2 people liked it

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