The system of dispersion. José Martí and the subject of modern philosophy

Abstract

This paper is devoted to an examination of the concept of nature in José Martí’s prose work. The concept of nature has been highly elaborated by early modern philosophers well before its appropriation by romantic writers. Thus, I start by charting some typically modern philosophical ideas, which I deem relevant to the following discussion. I think Marti’s account of nature is double layered: on the one hand, it is a force that acts according to precise poetic laws (laws that are to be found by poetic minds); on the other hand, it is a disrupting power that systematically tears apart any system that we build to encapsulate its very own workings. Finally, I point out some ways in which the preceding discussion can be used to explain some connections between the political and the aesthetic projects of Martí.