Naturmensch rising up in the midst of a civilised world." - Meaning and context.">
Chap.IX: The Primitive and the Technical
“

[T]he direction of society has been taken over by a type of man who is not interested in the principles of civilisation. Not of this or that civilisation but — from what we can judge to-day — of any civilisation. …[T]he type of man dominant to-day is a primitive one, a Naturmensch rising up in the midst of a civilised world.

— José Ortega y Gasset

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "[T]he direction of society has been taken over by a type of man who is not interested in the principles of civilisation. Not of this or that civilisation but — from what we can judge to-day — of any civilisation. …[T]he type of man dominant to-day is a primitive one, a Naturmensch rising up in the midst of a civilised world." in the context of "Chap.IX: The Primitive and the Technical" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "José Ortega y Gasset" (Quotes, The Revolt of the Masses (1929): La rebelión de las masas (1929)    Also see The Revolt of the Masses) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
José Ortega y Gasset

About José Ortega y Gasset

José Ortega y Gasset (May 9 1883 – October 18 1955) was a Spanish philosopher.