Paul Ricœur Biography

Paul Ricoeur stands as one of the most distinguished philosophers of the 20th century, whose extensive work primarily engages with philosophical anthropology and the human capacity for agency. He explored the possibilities of self-understanding through our relation to the world and others, rejecting notions of immediate self-transparency or complete self-mastery. Ricoeur's methodology evolved from existential phenomenology to a hermeneutic phenomenology, emphasizing that all intelligibility and self-understanding are mediated by language, symbols, and texts. His approach underscores the interpretive nature of human knowledge and existence.