The Emergence of Poetic Reason in the Zambranian Philosophy as a Critique of the Idea of Rational History

Abstract

This article examines the first formulations of poetic reason in María Zambrano's early work, particularly in the essays written during the initial years of her exile, such as Pensamiento y poesía en la vida española, Filosofía y poesía and in earlier texts such as Los intelectuales en el drama de España. Starting from a critique of hegemonic rationalism-embodied especially in Hegel's philosophy-Zambrano proposes an alternative path of knowledge in which poetry and philosophy are reconciled to foster a vital understanding of history, politics and existence. We analyze the way in which poetic reason manifests itself as a germinal, restorative and dynamic category, capable of resisting the logical closure of idealist thought and of offering a new articulation between life and history. Through a detailed reading of essays published in journals, the article shows how Zambrano conceives the intellectual as an embodied historical subject, as opposed to the isolated and solipsistic figure that dominates the rationalist tradition. The critique of rational history and the vindication of literature as devices of vital knowledge allow us to trace the birth of a racio-poetic project that aspires to reconstitute the categories of life.