A&E/Circumstance

In Robert McClintock’s work, the concept of "circumstances" (or circumstance, in the singular) is foundational to his understanding of human existence, education, and self-formation. He defines circumstances not merely as passive physical surroundings, but as the dynamic, interactive lifeworld in which a person is inextricably embedded.

Drawing heavily from the philosophy of José Ortega y Gasset and the biology of Jakob von Uexküll, McClintock uses the concept in the following key ways:

1. The Inseparable Unity of Self and Circumstance McClintock anchors his thought in Ortega y Gasset's famous axiom: "I am I and my circumstances, and if I do not save my circumstances, I cannot save myself". A person cannot be understood as an abstract, isolated entity. Instead, a person is a historical being who lives in a continuous, co-existing relationship with their specific time, place, and situation. Life itself is defined as an ongoing "dialogue with its circumstances," where thinking is the process of conversing with one's surroundings to navigate the vital problems of living.

2. Circumstance as the "Umwelt" (Lifeworld) In his glossary of concepts, McClintock defines circumstances formally as "All that co-exists in time and space through a living form". He equates circumstances with Uexküll's concept of the Umwelt (lifeworld). Circumstances are not an independent, objective universe out there; rather, they are the specific "world-as-sensed" and "world-of-action" that a living being actively interacts with. Inner awareness and outer circumstances form a single, dynamic network of simultaneous interaction.

3. The "Rhyme Scheme" of Life (Constraint and Possibility) While circumstances constrain us, they also provide the raw material for our autonomy. McClintock uses a striking metaphor to explain this: a person is like a "poet to whom a rhyme scheme is given".

• The "rhyme scheme" represents a person's unique and unavoidable circumstances.

• These circumstances do not dictate exactly what the person will do, but they provide a "schematic outline" or set of limits and possibilities.

• Within those given circumstantial constraints, the individual must "invent" their own authentic life project, just as a poet freely invents a poem within the constraints of a meter.

4. Mutual Transformation The relationship between a person and their circumstances is a two-way street of mutual shaping. Humans do not merely adapt to their circumstances like animals; because of their unique "formative power," human beings actively shape and transform their perceptive and active capacities. By inventing tools, culture, and concepts, humans continually alter their circumstances, which in turn presents them with new challenges and possibilities for further self-formation.

In summary, for McClintock, circumstances are the existential ground of life. They are the sum of everything a living form interacts with, providing the necessary constraints, challenges, and affordances through which an autonomous person must exercise judgment and shape their destiny.