Peace Studies and the Philosophy of Xavier Zubiri
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The Xavier Zubiri Review, Vol. 9, 2007, pp. 99-109 Peace Studies and the Philosophy of Xavier Zubiri Alberto Valiente Thoresen Centre for Peace Studies, University of Tromsø Tromsø, Norway Abstract Peace Studies have to grow at a time when the original idea of a modern university is in ruins. Culture has stopped being university’s purpose and philosophy is no longer its guardian. Knowledge lacks structure and orientation. The contemporary main purpose of universities is quality and excellence. But what does this mean? More specifically, what are excellent Peace Studies? Ironically, only philosophy can answer this question. Xavier Zubiri’s critique of Western thought is a good reference for this. His ideas on reality, reality by postulation, intelligence, objects of knowledge and processes of generation of knowledge can be used to determine, structure Peace Studies and resuscitate the value of intellectual life. Resumen Los estudios de la paz tienen que crecer en un momento cuando la idea original de la universidad moderna queda en ruinas. La cultura ha dejado de ser el propósito de la uni- versidad y la filosofía ha dejado de ser su guardián. Al conocimiento le faltan la estructura y orientación. El propósito principal contemporáneo de universidades es calidad y excelen- cia. ¿Pero qué significa esto? ¿Más específicamente, cual son los estudios de la paz excelen- tes? Irónicamente, sólo filosofía puede contestar esta pregunta. La crítica de Xavier Zubiri del pensamiento Occidental es una referencia buena para esto. Sus ideas sobre la realidad, la realidad por postulación, la inteligencia, objetos de conocimiento y procesos de genera- ción de conocimiento pueden usarse para determinar y estructurar los estudios de la paz y resucitar el valor de vida intelectual I. Introduction losophical tradition certain democratically According to William Readings the chosen canons of literature, as the guardi- bases of the modern Western university ans of culture in their universities. Even- can be traced back to the philosophical tually, this led to a process of “de- work of the German Idealists, from Schiller referentialisation” of culture, the end to Humboldt.1 For them, reason, as pon- product of which was that the word “cul- dered by Kant, was to develop knowledge, ture” came to mean nothing at all as such. and this knowledge was to determine cul- The result was that culture ceased to be ture. Readings adds that this rational cul- the unifier of research, teaching and learn- ture guarded by philosophy was to func- ing in a university, replaced by the “nor- tion as the unifier of the activities of a uni- malising” notion of excellence.2 versity, whose purpose was to function as Readings suggests that culture used to the producer of knowledge, conflict solver be the soul of the university, and now it is and organiser of the life of the people of a a program of study: Cultural Studies. Pea- rational state. ce Studies could be seen as a development For Readings, from this starting point, in this direction. In other words, when the American scholars substituted for phi- main purpose of a university ceases to be 99 100 Alberto Valiente Thoresen ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ developing culture that can, among other 2) Disorientation in the world: The intel- things, guarantee peace, it becomes rele- lectual function lacks a clear role in vant to have Peace Studies as an inde- the current world. Intellectual activity pendent field of study. is only measured in relation to how Such tendencies become increasingly useful it is. The rest is disregarded as widespread in the contemporary phase of mere curiosity. This view parallels the globalisation characterised by Americani- notion of legitimation of knowledge by sation, which has implied to a large extent performability, identified and opposed more focus on excellence than on cultural by Lyotard.6 development in universities throughout 3) Lack of intellectual life: Scientific the world. But like the term “culture,” or methods are increasingly simple “peace,” the word “excellence” says noth- techniques, a sort of meta-technique.7 ing by itself, as long as it is not accompa- nied by philosophical considerations that II. Who was Xavier Zubiri? establishing the criteria that ideally make Xavier Zubiri was born in San Sebas- something excellent.3 tián, Spain, December 5th, 1898. He star- What then should be the standards of ted studies on philosophy and theology at excellence in Peace Studies? A multidisci- the Seminar of Madrid. Zubiri’s mentor plinary field becomes impractical unless was the Spanish philosopher José Ortega the different sciences can play a specific y Gasset, who Zubiri met in 1919. Ortega role in it, with a purpose and as a part of a was responsible for introducing Zubiri to greater intellectual project. Ironically the main currents of European thought of enough, the only possible way to answer the time, especially Husserl’s phenomeno- such a question successfully is by return- logy. By 1920 Xavier Zubiri obtained a ing to what the German Idealists identified doctorate of philosophy in Rome. A year as the unifier of the activities of a univer- later, he moved to Belgium to study philo- sity, namely, philosophical reflection on sophy in the Institute Superior of Philo- the purposes, the object of knowledge, the sophy of the Catholic University of Lou- process of knowledge and the epistemology vain. In May that same year, Zubiri pre- of Peace Studies. sented his doctoral thesis in the University A good reference for reflections on such of Madrid with the title “A Phenomenologi- issues is the work of the Spanish philoso- cal Theory of Judgement”. Before turning pher Xavier Zubiri. He developed a radi- thirty, in 1926, Zubiri was tenured as the cally new open realism,4 which culminated Chair of the History of Philosophy in the in the trilogy Sentient Intelligence, the first Faculty of Philosophy and Literature of the volume of which was published in 1980. Central University of Madrid. Three years As early as 1942, Zubiri had identified the later, his interests in phenomenology took destruction of philosophical life in univer- Zubiri to Freiburg to attend courses with sities that was pointed out by Readings in Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. 1996: But he did not remain there very long. A 1) Levelling positivation of knowledge: year later, in 1930, Zubiri’s interest in Sciences lack systemic unity and per- physics moved him to Berlin, where he spective. They are all set in the same met among others, Einstein, Schrödinger, plane. One is as important as the Zermelo and Jaeger. His thought at this other. When disciplines are regarded time was concerned with incorporating as scientific, they acquire the same into philosophy what he called the “new rank. Lyotard identified a deepening physics”,8 referring to the findings of rela- of this problem. For him, “classical di- tivity and quantum mechanics. By 1931 viding lines between the various fields he returned to his Chair in the Central of science are… called into question”.5 University of Madrid. XAVIER ZUBIRI REVIEW 2007 Peace Studies and the Philosophy of Xavier Zubiri 101 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ It can be said that Zubiri moved away his thought with close students. In 1974, from wars in the course of his life. First, a this seminar started publishing the jour- year before the outbreak of the Spanish nal titled Realitas, which gathered articles civil war in 1935, he moved to Rome to inspired in much of Zubiri’s work and ot- study linguistics. After a year there, he her philosophers. In 1979, the Federal travelled to Paris, where he imparted cour- Republic of Germany granted Zubiri the ses in the Institut Catholique. His stay Cross of Merit (Das Grosse Verdienst there was interrupted in 1939 when he Kreuz), and in 1980 he received a Doctora- decided to return to Spain and started te Honoris Causa from the University of working as a lecturer in Barcelona. He had Deusto in Bilbao; the same year the first left Paris just a year before it fell to the volume of his landmark trilogy Sentient Germans during the Second World War. Intelligence was published. In 1983 Zubiri Despite the fact that the civil war was over started working on a new book entitled in Spain, his return was not problem-free. Man and God, but never completed it. He The political climate in fascist Spain was died the 21st of September of that year. repressive, and due to lack of liberties in His students and collaborators in the Franco’s regime, Zubiri resigned from Xavier Zubiri Seminar (which later became work in Spanish universities in 1942. the Xavier Zubiri Foundation) began pu- From then on, a circle of close collabora- blishing Zubiri’s unedited works. The first tors financed his work. In 1944 he was of these, Man and God (1984), was edited able to publish one of his best-known by Ignacio Ellacuría, one of Zubiri’s closest works; Nature, History, God. collaborators. Then the following books In 1947, Zubiri presided over the Socie- were published: About Man (1986), The ty of Studies and Publications, financed by Dynamic Structure of Reality (1989), On Banco Urquijo in Madrid. This society be- Emotions and Volition (1992), The Philo- came a new intellectual forum where Zubi- sophical Problem of the History of Religions ri was able to expound and discuss his (1993), The Fundamental Problems of Wes- thought with a growing number of stu- tern Metaphysics (1994), Space, Time and dents and friends who in 1953, 30 years Matter (1996), The theological problem of before his death, published the book “A man: Christianity (1999), Man and truth Tribute to Xavier Zubiri”. However, Zubiri’s (1999). In the year 2000 his First Writings exile from universities implied that his (1921-26) were published.