Abstract

Students of Paul Ricoeur have noticed that one recurring feature of his philosophy an emphasis on affirmation. Olivier Abel, for instance, states that one cannot truly comprehend Ricoeur's philosophy without recognizing priority that he places on affirmative mode.1 In similar vein, T. M. Van Leeuwen observes that central intuition of Ricoeur's philosophy reiteration of pre-philosophical experience that existence and being are ultimately meaningful.2 Likewise, in his study of Ricoeur's interpretation of biblical narrative, Kevin Vanhoozer proposes that Ricoeur's philosophy can best be characterized as passion for possible.3 This interpretation certainly well attested in writings of Ricoeur himself. Two examples, one from an early essay and another from more recent work, will make my point. In his 1955 essay, Negativity and Primary Affirmation, Ricoeur states that he intends to pursue philosophy of primacy of being and existing.4 The emphasis on priority of being over nothingness characterizes his entire philosophical style, a style of 'yes' and not style of `no,' and perhaps even style characterized by joy and not by anguish.5 One interesting outcome of Ricoeur's emphasis on affirmation his extraordinary generosity toward other positions that he interrogates.6 His openness stems from his conviction that community of philosophers participates in truth. Truth, writes Ricoeur, is being-in-common of philosophers.7 Because of this hope, Ricoeur generous in his affirmation of other's point of view. My second example comes from recent study, Oneself as Another.8In this work, Ricoeur makes reference to concept of attestation. The concept of attestation introduced at beginning of Oneself as Another when Ricoeur addresses problem of cogito.9 He observes that within history of modern philosophy there have appeared two dominant models of cogito.10 The first model refers to positing of which began with Descartes' attempt to establish cogitoon final and ultimate foundation.11 This, of course, led to various attempts to either complete Cartesian project or to put it into question. The criticism made against cogito constitutes second model concerning status of cogito. This tradition eventually led to what Ricoeur calls the shattered cogito, with Nietzsche being best representative of this tradition. The consequence of of cogito that self's being-in-the world rendered problematic. Thus, we hear of phrases such as death of subject and like. Though it beyond scope of this essay to delineate various positions concerning debate on self, one way of looking at issue to say that outcome of these debates has led to crisis of confidence for self. Anthony Thiselton, for example, remarks that postmodern critique of self has led to shattering of innocent confidence in capacity of self to control its own destiny.12 Hence, as result of devastating critique of self placed in position that can best be described as incapable. The self rendered incapable of speech, action, narration, and moral imputation.13 It against this picture, or better yet, as an alternative to this picture, that Ricoeur presents concept of attestation. According to Ricoeur, attestation the assurance-the credence and trust-of existing in mode of selfhood.14 One cannot help but notice that this definition places accent on affirmative pole instead of emphasizing some other modality such as suspicion. This does not mean of course that suspicion has no role to play in Ricoeur's thought. In addition to developing hermeneutic that aims at restoration and recovery of meaning, he has also developed hermeneutic of suspicion. …

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