Appearing in English for the first time, this book comprises two of Ortega s most important works, Que es conocimiento? and the essay Ideas y creencias. This is Ortega s attempt to systematically present the foundations of his metaphysics of human life and, on that basis, to provide a radical philosophical account of knowledge. In so doing, he criticizes idealism and overcomes it. Accordingly, this book goes well beyond a treatise on epistemology; in fact, as understood in modern philosophy, this discipline and its questions are shown to be derivative and, in that sense, they are transcended here by Ortega s systematic effort.
Written during the time of his maturity, these works are representative of his fruitful and radical period. Both Que es conocimiento? and Ideas y creencias are equally decisive not only for the understanding and radical completion of Ortega s work, but also for their relevance to the work of continental philosophers during the same period and for years to come (e.g., Husserl, Jaspers, Heidegger, Sartre, and others)."