The subject of man is the starting point for the teachings of José Ortega-i-Gasset because, in his view, one can not reason over being without defining what (the essence) of man is. He calls human life a "radical topic" or "root" ("radical" in Spanish means "root"). His anthropological doctrine is positioned outwardly and critically against two traditions linked to the definition of man as his attitude to God or some sort of unique quality.
Jose Ortega-i-Gasset is looking for another, different definition. According to him, a person is a potency, an opportunity for himself, a self-design. According to him, before any distinction between materialism and idealism stands his own life. The world exists through the person who perceives it. For him, the starting point for any philosophy must be coexistence with the world, the constant interaction between man and the world.
"I am myself and my circumstances." Life according to Ortega is not a ready being - it (life) consists of the self-building activity. Man becomes the object of his activity. Circumstances determine the possibilities for self-realization. One is placed in some environment, but one always has the choice. In this sense, circumstances are an "invitation" for a person to self-realize. The most permanent human situation is the situation of choice. The right of choice is not available. One is responsible for this freedom of choice. Man is somehow compelled, obliged to be free (to choose himself).
José Ortega-and-Gasset interprets human being as a hermeneutical one, as one constantly faces situations in which he must first understand.Human being is a time - a time of priority for the future. Why is it time? To be able to choose, one must first choose what he wants to be, have a project for himself - to present himself in the future. Human reality (self-realization) is possible through looking into the future. Man is something "already," but something "more" - is not yet something that can be in the future. From this point of view, one can not be out of time.