What is Being? Part Two (Xavier Zubiri's Sentient Intelligence Episode 9)

"Simply put, according to Zubiri, a thing’s being is basically is how it relates to other things that are in the network of reality. And a thing’s being is defined by the sense of towards that reality impresses upon the intellect via the thing’s interaction with other things. I know this cup’s being because I’ve apprehended the cup interacting with other things, which situates the cup in the network of reality. The cup’s place in reality, its relation to other things, like liquid and tables, in turn, tell me what it is. Basically, we define things based on how they interact with other things. Being is relational and depends on things like utility and culture. Thus, according to Zubiri, being, like truth and reality, is dynamic, whereas for classical philosophy, being is static, fixed, rigid, and universal, and for modern philosophy being is in our mind alone and it shapes reality over time. Specifically, for Freidrich Hegel, being determines reality, whereas for Zubiri, reality determines being."

Xavier Zubiri is a little-known Spanish philosopher who sought to develop a realist Metaphysics that accounted for a dynamic universe. His expertise and critiques of prior Western philosophical paradigms ultimately led him to craft a systematic philosophy that perhaps synthesized all the best elements of each school of thought, whilst correcting for their respective errors. In this series, Will Deatherage explores his seminal work, Sentient Intelligence.

Special thanks to our script reviewers, including:
Dr. Thomas Fowler, President of the Xavier Zubiri Foundation of North America
Marcos Mendoza
Jose Nunes

For more information about Zubiri, check out: http://www.zubiri.org/ and https://thenewrealist.org/

Background Music: Balmfield by Inversnaid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy6Ln3SXHss&pp=ygUUYmFsbWZpbGVkIGludmVyc25haWQ%3D
Outro: Inside My Head by ARSNK https://soundcloud.com/arsnkmusic/inside-my-head

View our other series:
Series on Ecumenical Councils: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPnp45TCxDtPeT-lOsnFhGn2bShv0vAoL
Series on Magisterial Authority: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPnp45TCxDtNMKUDRtQ15pZDTBCCj4Xg_
Series on No Salvation Outside the Church: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPnp45TCxDtPUAFb81XCeyFVJ6wCniYzX