Alive Quote by Jose Ortega y Gasset
“"Natural" man is always there, under the changeable historical man. We call him and he comes-a little sleepy, benumbed, without his lost form of instinctive hunter, but, after all, still alive. Natural man is first prehistoric man-the hunter.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The Dehumanization of Art" by José Ortega y Gasset, 1925
Human nature is rooted in primal instincts; modern society masks these instincts, yet they persist beneath cultural changes.
In simple terms: Our primal instincts remain despite modern masks.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and integrate innate instincts.
Themes
human nature
instinct
modernity
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- urban living
- technology use
- personal identity
Key Concepts
anthropology
psychology
cultural criticism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance instinct and reason?
- What modern changes conceal our primal drives?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on primal instincts may ignore rational growth.
![“The body was the slave of the vortex; but the slave has become the master; and we must free ourselves from that tyranny. It is this stuff [ indicating her body ], this flesh and blood and bone and all the rest of it, that is intolerable. Even prehistoric man dreamed of what he called an astral…” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/504/george-bernard-shaw-68_blood_the-body-was-the-slave-of-the-vortex-but_2612664.jpg)
![“The human cardiovascular system evolved as part of the physiology of [prehistoric] hunters, who ran for their lives.” quote by Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/66c/paul-shepard-31396_cardiovascular_the-human-cardiovascular-system-evolved_978561.jpg)
![“...the student of prehistoric man...cannot reject [the Castenedolo skull] as false without doing injury to his sense of truth, and he cannot accept it as fact without shattering his accepted beliefs.” quote by Arthur Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/02c/arthur-keith-17817_evolution_the-student-of-prehistoric-man-cannot-re_943312.jpg)
