.It was some time after the death of Hegel before that outline of vitality became the central theme of a new point of view, the “life-philosophy” of Wilhelm Dilthey. He understood “life” not only as psychic life but as a unity found in that permanent change of state in which consciousness, constituted in relation to the external world, is a moment of subjective identity of this structure in process. Time is the form of correlation between subjective identity and the world. The passage of time appears as an experience and has a teleological character: It is a process with direction. Dilthey has a clear intuition but does not claim to construct a scientific edifice. For him, in the end, all truth is reduced to objectivity, and, as Zubiri points out, applying this to any truth means that everything, even the principle of contradiction, will be a simple fact. In this way, though he is reluctant to seek a foundation of a scientific nature, Dilthey’s brilliant intuitions in the philosophy of life will have a powerful influence on the new current of thought. Dilthey explains history from “within,” from where it is given, within life, but he does not stop to describe with precision the nature of becoming. It is here that we encounter phenomenology, which, after successive and exhaustive approaches, promises to confront the fundamental problems of historiology. 

In: Historiological Discussions, Silo

Chapter 3: History and Temporality, 3.1 Temporality and Process

Xavier Zubiri (1898 - 1983)

Topics

• Radical realism and noology: Zubiri developed a philosophy known as ‘radical realism’ that has reality at its centre as something directly apprehended by a ‘sentient’ intelligence. This approach seeks to overcome the subject-object dichotomy by proposing that intelligence not only grasps ideas but is in direct contact with reality itself.

• Man as a being of realities: Zubiri conceptualises man as a ‘being of realities’ and emphasises that the essence of man lies in his ability to interact directly with reality and to understand it. This idea is in contrast to the traditional view that separates man from the world.

• Meditation on essence In his work On Essence, Zubiri provides an in-depth analysis of the concepts of substance and essence. He argues that essence is not a mere abstraction, but something that manifests in concrete reality. This approach redefines how the nature of things and their existence are to be understood.

• Sentient intelligence: Zubiri introduces the concept of ‘sentient intelligence’, which combines sense perception with intelligence. This idea suggests that knowing is not only an intellectual act, but involves a direct, felt experience of reality. This concept is central to his philosophy and redefines traditional epistemology.

• The topic of God and religion: Zubiri approaches the question of God from a philosophical perspective by proposing the idea of ‘religation’. According to Zubiri, man is inextricably linked to the ultimate reality, which he identifies with God. This relationship is not simply theological, but has profound existential and philosophical implications.

• Intramundane philosophy: Zubiri advocates an ‘intramundane’ philosophy, that is, a philosophical reflection that focuses on the world and reality as it presents itself, without resorting to transcendental or external explanations. This approach aims to keep philosophy within the limits of human experience and concrete reality.

Major works

• Sobre la esencia (1962) - One of his most important works, in which he analyses the concepts of substance and essence. German: Vom Wesen, Munich 1968

• Inteligencia sentiente (1980-1983) - A trilogy consisting of:

• Inteligencia y realidad (1980)

• Inteligencia y logos (1982)

• Inteligencia y razón (1983) This work develops his concept of ‘sentient intelligence’.

• El hombre y Dios (1984) - Published posthumously, this work deals with the topic of God and the ‘theological dimension’ of the human being.

• Nature, History, God (1944) – one of his first major works.

• The Dynamic Structure of Reality (1989) – published posthumously. English translation: The Dynamic Structure of Reality, Urbana/Chicago 2003

• Sobre el hombre (1986) - Also published after his death, it deals with his view of man as an ‘animal of realities’.

• Los problemas fundamentales de la metafísica occidental (1994) - Another important posthumous work.

Influence

• Impact on Spanish philosophy: Zubiri is considered a central figure in 20th-century Spanish philosophy. His phenomenological approach and his theory of sentient intelligence have been the subject of study and discussion in academic circles in Spain and Latin America.

• Development of phenomenology: Although he was trained in the phenomenological tradition of Husserl and Heidegger, Zubiri developed his own approach that combines phenomenology with the scholastic tradition and elements of scientific philosophy. His concept of ‘sentient intelligence’ expands on and reinterprets classical phenomenology.

• Influence in Latin America: Zubiri's influence has spread widely in Latin America, where several philosophers and scholars have adopted and adapted his ideas in different contexts. His thinking has been studied and disseminated in countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Colombia.

• Zubiri's ideas have been applied in fields outside of pure philosophy, influencing disciplines such as anthropology, psychology and social sciences.