You’ve probably felt it. That weird, creeping sensation that everyone is shouting but nobody is actually listening. You see it on social media threads where nuance goes to die, or in political rallies that feel more like sporting events. This isn't just a modern "internet thing." It was predicted back in 1930. José Ortega y Gasset, a Spanish philosopher who lived through the crumbling of old European empires, wrote a book called The Revolt of the Masses. It’s basically the "spoilers" list for the 21st century.
He wasn't talking about a literal revolution with pitchforks. Not exactly. He was talking about a psychological shift. A moment where the average person—what he calls the "mass-man"—decides they don’t need to listen to anyone anymore. Not experts. Not history. Not even logic. They just want what they want, right now. Honestly, it’s a terrifyingly accurate mirror for our current era of "main character energy."
What Exactly Is the Mass-Man?
Ortega y Gasset isn't being a snob here. He’s not saying poor people are the problem or that the aristocracy was perfect. Far from it. The "masses" in his eyes isn't a social class. It's a mindset. You can be a billionaire or a PhD holder and still be part of the "mass."
The mass-man is someone who feels "just like everybody else" and is actually happy about it. They don’t feel a need to improve. They don't feel a need to struggle or master a craft. They just exist. And because they exist, they feel they have a right to impose their will on everyone else.
Think about the way we interact with technology today. We use smartphones that are basically magic, yet we have no idea how they work. We didn't build the infrastructure. We didn't invent the semiconductors. But we feel entitled to the service. Ortega compared this to a "spoiled child." We are the beneficiaries of a civilization we didn't build, and we've forgotten that it takes immense effort to keep it from falling apart. This is the core of the revolt of the masses. It's the moment the spoiled child takes over the house and starts breaking the furniture because they don't understand why the furniture was there in the first place.
The Death of Excellence and the Rise of "Hyperdemocracy"
Ortega coined a term that sounds like a good thing but is actually a warning: hyperdemocracy.
👉 See also: Why the Recent Snowfall Western New York State Emergency Was Different
In a healthy democracy, people vote for leaders but generally respect that some things require expertise. You wouldn't want a popular vote to decide how to perform heart surgery or how to build a suspension bridge. But in a state of revolt of the masses, the "average" person decides their opinion is just as valid as a specialist's. This isn't just about politics. It’s about everything.
It's the guy on X (formerly Twitter) explaining epidemiology to a doctor. It's the influencer giving financial advice that would make a CPA weep.
Why This Happens
- Uniformity: The mass-man hates anything that is different or "better." They want everything leveled.
- Self-Satisfiedness: They believe they are already complete. There is no urge to learn or grow.
- Direct Action: Instead of using debate or legal channels, the mass-man prefers "direct action." This can be physical violence, but today it's usually "cancel culture" or digital mobbing.
Ortega noticed that the masses were beginning to occupy the places previously reserved for the "select minorities." He didn't mean "minorities" in the modern racial or ethnic sense. He meant people who demand more of themselves than they do of others. People who strive. When the mass-man enters these spaces—theaters, universities, government—they don’t try to rise to the level of the institution. They pull the institution down to their level.
The Scientific Specialist: The Smartest Ignoramus
One of the most biting parts of Ortega’s work is his critique of the "specialist." He argues that modern science actually creates the mass-man.
Think about it. To be a great scientist today, you have to know a huge amount about one tiny, tiny thing. You might be the world's leading expert on the left valve of a specific species of clam. But outside of that? You're just as uneducated and stubborn as anyone else. Yet, because you are an "expert" in one thing, you feel entitled to speak with authority on everything else—politics, art, religion.
✨ Don't miss: Nate Silver Trump Approval Rating: Why the 2026 Numbers Look So Different
Ortega calls this the "learned ignoramus." This is why we see so many brilliant people saying incredibly stupid things outside their field. They have the arrogance of the mass-man combined with the credentials of the elite. It’s a dangerous mix.
Is Technology Making the Revolt Worse?
Basically, yes.
Ortega wrote about the "technician" as a driver of this revolt. Technology makes life easy. When life is easy, we forget that it's actually fragile. We think the world is a natural resource that just provides for us, like air. We forget that our rights, our safety, and our gadgets are the result of a very specific, very complex cultural framework.
When you don't have to work for something, you don't value it. This is the "spoiled child" syndrome on a global scale. We have access to all the world's information, but we use it to look at memes and argue with strangers. We have the "right" to speak, but nothing to say. The revolt of the masses is the triumph of the "I want" over the "I should."
How to Not Be a "Mass-Man"
It’s easy to look at the world and point fingers. But Ortega’s work is really a mirror. It's a call to look at ourselves. Are we just consuming? Are we just following the crowd because it’s comfortable?
🔗 Read more: Weather Forecast Lockport NY: Why Today’s Snow Isn’t Just Hype
Breaking out of the "mass" mindset requires a conscious effort. It’s not about being elitist; it’s about being demanding... of yourself.
Practical Steps for Intellectual Independence
- Stop valuing "feeling" over "knowing." Just because you feel strongly about something doesn't make you right. Practice saying, "I don't know enough about this to have an opinion." It’s incredibly liberating.
- Read old books. Seriously. If you only read what was published this year, you are trapped in the present. You are part of the mass. Read things that have survived for hundreds of years. They survive because they offer something more than just "vibes."
- Seek out difficulty. The mass-man wants the easy path. Choose the hard one. Learn a difficult language, master a craft, or engage with a philosophy that makes you uncomfortable.
- Respect expertise (but verify). Don't blindly follow authorities, but don't dismiss them just because they "think they're better than you." Real skill takes years of sacrifice. Acknowledge that.
- Separate yourself from the crowd. Ortega noted that the mass-man feels a sense of power by being part of a group. Try to stand alone on something. Even if it's small.
The Fragility of Civilization
The biggest takeaway from the revolt of the masses is that civilization is not a given. It is a choice. It’s a "tenuous crust" over a volcano of barbarism.
If we stop valuing excellence, if we stop respecting the systems that keep us safe, and if we prioritize our immediate desires over the long-term health of society, the crust breaks. We've seen it happen in the 1930s shortly after Ortega wrote his book. It led to some of the darkest chapters in human history.
Ortega wasn't a pessimist, though. He was a realist. He believed that by recognizing these patterns, we could choose a different path. We can choose to be the "select minority"—not by birth or wealth, but by effort and discipline.
Actionable Insights for Today
The revolt of the masses isn't something that happens "out there" in the streets. It happens in our heads every time we choose the easy outrage over the difficult truth.
- Audit your information diet. Are you only consuming content that reinforces what you already believe? That’s the mass-man’s favorite snack.
- Practice "active" citizenship. This means more than just voting or posting a black square on Instagram. It means understanding the history of your institutions and working to preserve what works while carefully fixing what doesn't.
- Build something. Whether it's a garden, a piece of software, or a local community group, building things reminds you how hard it is to create and how easy it is to destroy.
Ortega y Gasset warned us that the biggest threat to civilization isn't an outside enemy. It's the people living inside it who have forgotten why it exists. Don't be the spoiled child in the house your ancestors built. Be the one who knows how to fix the roof.