The twenty-first century needs a new paradigm for philosophy, because both Anglo-American and Continental philosophy have ended in analytic sterility and deconstructive nihilism. They have ignored the radical reality of human life, which all other realities must presuppose. Three European philosophers in the twentieth century - Dilthey, Heidegger, and Ortega y Gasset - began to develop this idea, but never before has it been systematically conceptualized and adequately expounded. With reference to the works of these philosophers, this book examines the major categories and essential properties of human life as it is lived, for example, in time, circumstance, history, and understanding.

José Ortega y Gasset, (1883-1955), Spanish writer, philosopher and revolutionary was noted for his humanistic criticism of modern civilization. His best known work, The Revolt of the Masses earned him an international reputation. In it, he decried the destructive influence of the mass-minded, and therefore mediocre, people, who, if not directed by the intellectually and morally superior minority, encourage the rise of fascism and totalitarianism.

The distinguished philosopher explores the foundations of sociology and makes a fresh examination of the meaning of society.

The Universe goes round and round, as does the Earth and Life on it! What is the reality behind the ever-changing activities within each of these? The eight essays included in The Reality of Human Life present an overall vision of the diversity of human life. Based upon author Bedrich Hettichs life experiences and observations, this collection offers a modern perception of the invisible existence of God, a Spirit revealed behind the reality of the power existing throughout the Universe right down to planet Earth in it with the diversity of human life on it. These essays address the questions of why and how we got here, what we are supposed to do while we are here, and what happens to us when we die. The topics of these essays relate human activities directly to God, serving as an extension of the essays in Hettichs first collection, The Reality of God in the Universe. Human life creates its own diversity, including the diversity of integration with other life forms that still exist on the Earth. These essays seek to build an understanding of how this diversity relates to the process by which we learn, collectively and individually, to work and live together in harmony referred to as the tuning of human life.

Understanding life through its origins reveals the groundwork underlying the differentiations of its autonomous generative matrixes. Following the primogenital matrix of generation, the three generative matrixes of the specifically human sense of life establish humanness within the creative human condition as the existential sphere of sharing-in-life.

The postromantic works of the Spaniard Rosalía de Castro and the Colombian José Asunción Silva are indispensable in any anthology of 19th century Spanish and Latin American poetry. However, they found few appreciative readers during their lifetimes, even while displaying two of the most sincere voices of the day. Dever's book is unique: it is the first comparison of Castro's and Silva's poetry. Their works have meaningful differences but share remarkable likenesses in theme, tone, and style, though it is doubtful that either was aware of the other's existence. Of interest to feminist critics is an interpretation of Castro's literary vocation within a patriarchal society. Using the ideas of three 20th century Spanish thinkers, José Ortega y Gasset, Xavier Zubiri, and Pedro Laín Entralgo, Dever applies the concept of radical insufficiency to a comparison of the poets' works. Radical insufficiency holds that humans lack a determined being and fixed course for life, thus norms are not available to make the world intelligible. Humans experience feelings of uncertainty and emptiness, which inevitably lead to anxiety. Confronted by the mystery and pathos of human life, Castro and Silva both describe futile attempts to overcome this insufficiency through creation and contemplation of art, human relationships, and religion. The significance of these writers has transcended their own time; when examined in the context of Spanish and Latin American authors and thinkers who succeeded them, the importance of their works will continue to grow.

The Real is Radical is centrally concerned with the explication and development of François Laruelle's theory of “non-standard Marxism.” Fardy assembles a constellation of concepts designed to put Laruelle's work into dialogue with diverse theoretical perspectives, including Althusser, Tronti, Adorno, Baudrillard, Kolozova and others while demonstrating the novelty and theoretical saliency of Laruelle's work. The Real is Radical provides a much-needed introduction to non-standard Marxism and a useful starting point for the development of its theoretical potential.