GOD, IMMORTALITY, AND LIVED EXPERIENCE IN UNAMUNO

Encounter, Autumn 2003 by Muray, Leslie A

In this article, I examine Miguel de Unamuno's understanding of God, his ideas about the suffering Christ, immortality, and his meditations on Don Quixote. I also briefly examine the affinity between Unamuno's stress on the practical importance of ideas and beliefs and those of William James and of some process thinkers. In a way that is hopefully consistent with the Spanish philosopher's focus on the concrete and particular, on "flesh and blood," I conclude with a discussion of the relevance of his ruminations about God and immortality for lived experience.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Miguel de Unamuno was born in the Basque city of Bilbao on 29 September 1864, the third of six children. Formative early experiences included the death of his father when young Miguel was six years old, a very strict Roman Catholic upbringing, and the bombardment of Bilbao in 1874 during the last Carlist War.

In secondary school (1875-1880), Unamuno developed certain patterns that would remain rather typical for the rest of his life. Plunging into his studies with great enthusiasm, he was invariably bored with the content of the subject matter. When his health became frail, his doctors recommended long walks, a regimen that would account for his life-long love and in-depth knowledge of the nonhuman natural world. Unamuno seriously contemplated studying for the priesthood during this period, but his nascent love for his future wife, "Concha," dissuaded him.

The years 1880-1884 were intellectually formative for Unamuno at the School of Philosophy and Letters at the University of Madrid. Not only was the budding philosopher exposed to positivism, biblical criticism, and skepticism; various movements of national regeneration were nurturing his skills at critical reflection. He admired the enthusiasm of his professors more than their knowledge of the subject matter.

Unamuno received the licentiate degree in june of 1883, and his doctorate the following year. His thesis dealt with an analysis of the origins and prehistory of the "Basque race." he returned to Bilbao, and for the next seven years supported himself by teaching part-time in the schools as well as by private tutoring. During this period, he was attempting to prepare for the very competitive examinations called "oposiciones." he also did research on the Basque language, including some translation. It is interesting to note that while Unamuno was keenly aware of the political ramifications of such academic pursuits, he nevertheless rejected their use to serve and legitimate Basque separatism.

Effective 13 july 1891, Miguel de Unamuno was appointed to the Chair of Greek Language at the University of Salamanca. It was a second major transition for him that year: he married Concepcion Lizârraga on January 31. As much as his work would be influenced by Kierkegaard, Unamuno's personal life and his conception of its relation to the vocation of the philosopher bore little resemblance to that of the Danish thinker: the Spanish philosopher was happily married and took particular delight in a no less joyous family life. Not only did Unamuno not find such joys to be a hindrance to the vocation of philosopher, they were to him part of the "flesh and blood" experiences in which human beings find significance and meaning in their lives. Although situated in the patriarchal historical and cultural context of late nineteenth, early twentieth-century Spain, it is clear that their marital relationship reflected a perhaps-surprising degree of egalitarianism, with Concepcion being an integral part of her spouse's life in her own right, quite apart from any a particular roles she may have played in the marriage.1

In his new position, Unamuno truly came into his own, in time acquiring the nickname "the sage of Salamanca." Although older than most of its leading exponents and the only writer who was a university professor, Unamuno was a luminary in the "Generation of '98," a rather heterogeneous group of Spanish intellectuals at the forefront of attempts to revitalize Spanish culture in the wake of its defeat in the Spanish-American War and the ensuing loss of status and prestige as a former world power. From 1900-1914, when for no apparent reason he was dismissed from the position, he served as rector of the university. During World War I, the Spanish philosopher's pro-Ally sympathies were the subject of much controversy, especially in light of the king's pro-German proclivities. In 1915, Unamuno refused appointment as dean. he did accept the position of vice-dean in 1920. he was dismissed from this position in February of 1924 on account of his conflict with the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera and was exiled to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. he escaped to Paris after a few months, moving to Hendaye in August of 1925. Unamuno's return to Spain in February of 1930 was the occasion for much triumphal celebration.

One of the most profoundly formative series of experiences in the life of the Spanish philosopher revolved around his son, Raimundo Jenaro, born in January of 1896.