Hermeneutics and Phenomenology in Paul Ricoeur

By: Scott Davidson and Marc-Antoine Vallée

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Synopsis: Hermeneutics and Phenomenology inPaul Ricoeur: Between Text and Phenomenon calls attentionto the dynamic interaction that takes place between hermeneutics andphenomenology in Ricoeur's thought. It could be said thatRicoeur's thought is placed under a twofold demand:between the rigor of the text and the requirements of thephenomenon. The rigor of the text calls for fidelity to what the textactually says, while the requirement of the phenomenon is established by theHusserlian call to return "to the things themselves. " These two demands areinterwoven insofar as there is a hermeneutic component of the phenomenologicalattempt to go beyond the surface of things to their deeper meaning, just asthere is a phenomenological component of the hermeneutic attempt to establish acritical distance toward the world to which we belong. For this reason,Ricoeur's thought involves a back and forth movement between the text and thephenomenon. Although this double movement was a theme of many of Ricoeur'sessays in the middle of his career, the essays in this book suggest thathermeneutic phenomenology remains implicit throughout his work. The chaptersaim to highlight, in much greater detail, how this back and forth movementbetween phenomenology and hermeneutics takes place with respect to manyimportant philosophical themes, including the experience of the body, history,language, memory, personal identity, and intersubjectivity.