21st International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Jose Ortega y Gasset’s radical approach to existential issues and choices is well-known. It is summed up in his view that “Man has no nature; what he has is – history.” We discover who we are from our history of personal experiences, which includes experiences of interacting with others in communities. We discover what our humanity means by entering new cultural spaces – thereby forming and adding new identities to the ones we already had. We do this by learning the histories of others and by living inside their experiences of the present. We become like others, and in so doing, become something other than ourselves in previous incarnations. This is not a rejection of past identities. It is an amplification of a renewed and expanding identity, based on learning what is human about us. This refreshes the meaning and identity of the self by incorporating experiences of others. In this process, we breathe life into a new, more fully human self. Each culture that becomes part of our history expands our potential for interacting with others. Each time this happens, we discover a new power. We come to experience responses we can give to a world we now appreciate more than ever. By contrast, for Ortega, nationalism is a fervor that erases history. It devalues and dismisses the importance of lived experience. We will explore the dimensions and relevance of Ortega’s life affirming philosophy – explaining how and why diversity and inclusion are values that give meaning to our lives.