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With his writings on phenomenology, psychoanalysis, Marxism, ideology, and religion, Paul Ricoeur has single-handedly redefined and revitalized the hermeneutic tradition. From Text to Action is an essential companion to the now classic The Conflict of Interpretations. Here, Ricoeur continues and extends his project of constructing a general theory of interpretation, positioning his work in relation to its own philosophical background: Hegel, Husserl, Gadamer, and Weber. He also responds to contemporary figures like K.O. Apel and Jürgen Habermas, connecting his own theorization of ideology to their version of ideology critique.

How do human beings become human? This question lies behind the so-called human sciences. But these disciplines are scattered among many different departments and hold up a cracked mirror to humankind. This is why, in the view of Paul Ricoeur, we need to develop a philosophical anthropology, one that has a much older history but still offers many untapped resources. This appeal to a specifically philosophical approach to questions regarding what it was to be human did not stop Ricoeur from entering into dialogue with other disciplines and approaches, such as psychoanalysis, history, sociology, anthropology, linguistics and the philosophy of language, in order to offer an up-to-date reflection on what he saw as the fundamental issues. For there is clearly not a simple, single answer to the question what is it to be human? Ricoeur therefore takes up the complexity of this question in terms of the tensions he sees between the voluntary and the involuntary, acting and suffering, autonomy and vulnerability, capacity and fragility, and identity and otherness. The texts brought together in this volume provide an overall view of the development of Ricoeurs philosophical thinking on the question of what it is to be human, from his early 1939 lecture on Attention to his remarks on receiving the Kluge Prize in 2004, a few months before his death.

_Criticism and Conviction_ offers a rare opportunity to share personally in the intellectual life and journey of the eminent philosopher Paul Ricoeur. Internationally known for his influential works in hermeneutics, theology, psychoanalysis, and aesthetics, until now, Ricoeur has been conspicuously silent on the subject of himself. In this book--a conversation about his life and work with François Azouvi and Marc de Launay--Ricoeur reflects on a variety of philosophical, social, religious, and cultural topics, from the paradoxes of political power to the relationship between life and art, and life and death. In the first of eight conversations, Ricoeur traces the trajectory of his life, recounting the origins of his convictions and the development of his intellect against the tragic events of the twentieth century. Declaring himself the "son of a victim of the First World War," Ricoeur, an orphan, sketches his early years in the house of stern but loving grandparents, and the molding of his intellect under the tutelage of Roland Dalbiez, Gabriel Marcel, and André Philip. Ricoeur tells the intriguing story of his capture and five-year imprisonment by the Germans during World War II, where he and his compatriots fashioned an intellectual life complete with a library and lectures, and where he, amazingly, was able to continue his dissertation research. Elegantly interweaving anecdotal with philosophical meditations, Ricoeur recounts his relationships with some of the twentieth century's greatest figures, such as Heidegger, Jaspers, and Eliade. He also shares his views on French philosophers and explains his tumultuous relationship with Jacques Lacan. And while expressing his deepest respect for the works of Claude Lévi-Strauss and Michel Foucault, Ricoeur reserves his greatest admiration for the narratologist Algirdas Julien Greimas. Ricoeur also explores the relationship between the philosophical and religious domains, attempting to reconcile the two poles in his thought. And readers who have struggled with Ricoeur's work will be grateful for these illuminating discussions that provide an invaluable key to his writings on language and narrative, especially those on metaphor and time. Spontaneous and lively, _Criticism and Conviction_ is a passionate confirmation of Ricoeur's eloquence, lucidity, and intellectual rigor, and affirms his position as one of this century's greatest thinkers. It is an essential book for anyone interested in philosophy and literary criticism

Le conflit des interprétationsCes « essais d'herméneutique » réunissent des textes qui portent la marque du bouillonnement intellectuel des années 1960. Les sciences humaines font éclater les cadres reçus de l'interprétation, et créent même un « conflit des interprétations ». Le premier mérite de Ricœur, infatigable lecteur, est alors de reprendre longuement ce que disent les sciences de l'homme - linguistique, sémiologie, ethnologie, psychanalyse... - pour mesurer comment et pourquoi naît ce conflit.On est loin ici de toute « voie courte », d'une philosophie se contentant de rappeler à hauts cris le « sens » face à la « mort du sujet ». S'il s'agit « d'explorer les voies ouvertes à la philosophie contemporaine » par cette nouvelle donne, il faut passer par le détour de l'analyse longue. Un détour, plutôt rare dans l'aire de la philosophie française, est ainsi très présent : il passe par l'exégèse biblique et des disciplines religieuses, qui furent à l'origine du problème herméneutique. Au terme de cette analyse seulement, il sera possible à nouveau de « donner un sens acceptable à la notion d'existence ».Paul Ricœur (1913-2005)Philosophe, monument de la philosophie française du XXe°siècle, il n'a cessé de nouer un dialogue avec les sciences humaines dans leur diversité et renouvelé les recherches exégétiques et bibliques.Préface de Jean Greisch Préface Note de l'éditeur Existence et herméneutique Structure et herméneutique Le problème du double-sens La structure, le mot, l'événement Le conscient et l'inconscient La psychanalyse et le mouvement de la culture contemporaine Une interprétation philosophique de Freud Technique et non-technique dans l'interprétation L'art et la systématique freudienne L'acte et le signe selon Jean Nabert Heidegger et la question du sujet La question du sujet : le défi de la sémiologie Le « péché originel » : étude de signification Herméneutique des symboles et réflexion philosophique (I) Herméneutique des symboles et réflexion philosophique (II) Démythiser l'accusation Interprétation du mythe de la peine Préface à Bultmann La liberté selon l'espérance Culpabilité, éthique et religion Religion,athéisme, foi La paternité : du fantasme au symbole Sources Ouvrages cités.

"The idea of original sin owes its development more to Augustine than to any other individual. We cannot understand this idea, much less believe it, unless we consider his primary motive for developing it. His 'Confessions', a masterpiece of personal reflection, reveals the psychological dynamic that renders a free person's implication in social and historical evil irreversible from the beginning. The author traces this interior bondage of the will through Augustine's own life from his infancy and youth, through his dramatic conversion, to his mature years of reflection and ministry as bishop. It presents original sin not only autobiographically, but also historically, as the first and universal sin of mankind, and primordially, as the fundamental cause and meaning at the root of all moral impotence and sin. This volume argues that the doctrine of original sin stands together with the doctrine of grace as the foundation of Augustine's teachings on confession and salvation; it rejects a recent development in Augustine studies that reduces Augustine's doctrine of original sin to an ancillary, polemical role as a weapon in the arsenal against Pelagian voluntarism. Above all, it allows this doctrine to live now as it did for Augustine, by permitting us to observe as he reflects theologically upon his personal experience of God." [Book jacket].

This book re-examines legal need in the light of contemporary philosophy, social policy analysis, medical economics and the trend towards evaluation of legal services. From this exploration a new perspective emerges - testing for non-need by comparing the consequences of absence and presence of legal representation. The tests cover empirical research from five Common Law jurisdictions on five outcomes (the cure hypothesis): plea, venue, bail, verdict and sentence. From this it is concluded that the general case for legal need is not proven. In this place as inverted need the judge is re-imported as the key variable in legal decisions. Finally the clinical analogy with legal need is discussed - legal aid as welfare or as subsidy; victim's needs and the mode of criminal justice.