Laure Assayag

This article argues that compromise requires a distinctive form of imaginative work—one that bears striking resemblance to the creative processes underlying metaphorical innovation. This connection is explored through Paul Ricoeur’s philosophy, whose theory of productive imagination provides compelling resources for reconceptualizing compromise as a creative ethical practice. Taking as its point of departure Ricoeur’s 1991 assertion that “the primary lack is always a lack of imagination” in matters of compromise, the paper demonstrates that compromise relies on similar processes to those of metaphor—both maintain a tension between reproduction and production, absence and presence, difference and similarity. Through the analysis of Ricoeur’s distinctive use of visual schemas and his account of semantic innovation, it is shown that metaphorical imagination offers interpretive and ethical resources that can deepen and renew our understanding of the roles compromise plays in social and political life.

This article aims to show that P. Ricœur’s thought offers a robust theoretical framework for conceptualizing the dialectic between recognition and compromise, serving as foundation for a political ethics suited to the challenges of pluralism in contemporary societies. Compromise serves to mitigate conflicts arising from demands for recognition and to provide practical avenues for solving such disputes, while the imperative of recognition prevents compromise from degenerating into a mere strategic negotiation and enriches the practical imagination necessary for collective action. A Ricoeurian approach to politics enables to sketch out a political ethics grounded both on a “will-to-live-together” and “just institutions,” one that acknowledges the inevitability of conflict but sustains the possibility of shared political existence.

Cet article vise à démontrer que la pensée de P. Ricœur fournit un cadre théorique précieux pour conceptualiser la dialectique entre reconnaissance et compromis comme fondement d’une éthique politique adaptée aux défis du pluralisme dans les sociétés contemporaines. Le compromis peut apaiser les conflits soulevés par les demandes de reconnaissance et fournir des pistes pratiques pour traiter ces différends, tandis que l’impératif de reconnaissance empêche le compromis de dégénérer en simple négociation stratégique et enrichit l’imagination pratique par l’action collective. Une approche ricœurienne de la politique permet d’esquisser une éthique politique fondée sur un “vouloir-vivre-ensemble” et des “institutions justes”, qui reconnaît l’inévitabilité du conflit mais maintient la possibilité d’une existence politique commune.

Cet article examine la notion de vigilance, évoquée par Paul Ricœur, et sa pertinence pour penser l’intervention philosophique dans l’espace public contemporain. Face à la fragilisation des fondements démocratiques, nous soutenons qu’une approche ricœurienne de la vigilance offre une conception équilibrée du rôle de la philosophie dans l’espace public. Cette posture évite tant l’écueil de l’arrogance dogmatique, qui prétend détenir des vérités absolues, que celui d’une méfiance critique systématique qui rend impossible toute construction intellectuelle. La vigilance est interrogée en tant qu’exercice philosophique, comme réponse à la fragilité constitutive des institutions, et comme forme de sagesse pratique en situation. La vigilance éthique ricœurienne apparaît ainsi comme une démarche philosophique qui reconnaît la nécessité des médiations institutionnelles tout en maintenant à leur égard une distance critique. Elle offre une ressource précieuse pour repenser le rôle de la philosophie dans un contexte démocratique fragilisé.

This article explores the potential of Paul Ricœur’s political philosophy for conceptualizing education in democratic societies. While Ricœur did not develop a systematic philosophy of education, his work offers rich resources for reimagining education’s role in fostering democratic citizenship. By integrating Ricœur’s scattered reflections on education into his broader political philosophy, this article proposes an educational approach centred on cultivating the ‘will-to-live-together’ through ‘conflictual consensus’. It argues that these concepts provide a compelling framework for managing societal pluralism and developing democratic competencies. The article concludes by offering practical suggestions to implement this educational vision.

This article seeks to explore the relevance of compromise in Raymond Aron’s essays. The concept of compromise has never been subjected to critical scrutiny in his works. The paper offers a new interpretation of R. Aron’s democratic theory by arguing that “the sense of compromise”, mainly set out in Democracy and Totalitarianism, is a foundational and pivotal concept to highlight the specifics of his liberal thought and his understanding of democratic pluralism. It aims to provide a critical analysis, presenting a focused exploration of three types of compromise, broken down into three areas (the political-pluralist compromise; the economic compromise; the foreign policy compromise). In each of these cases, key qualities and limitations of compromise solutions for deadlocked controversies are outlined. The article argues that, for R. Aron, economic compromise is the easiest to achieve. The paper further discusses possible criteria that can help to discriminate moral from immoral compromises. It concludes that “the sense of compromise” is inseparable from any serious attempt to think afresh R. Aron’s democratic theory.

This article proposes to retrace the path of trust that Paul Ricœur has drawn across his works. If the concept of trust is never themed as such, nevertheless it unfolds in subtle ways in fields as diverse as ethics, morality, politics, and religion. We will argue that trust is a solid but fragile foundation for Ricœur’s recognition theory. Rooted in man’s structural disproportion, trust is a perpetual tension between the finitude of existence and the infinitude of mutual recognition, between the ability and fallibility of the human being -it is thus a continuous search, always disappointing but always renewed, of a mediation between the self and the other, the hope of happiness and the reality of evil. The analysis of various forms of trust, including interpersonal and institutional forms, will then be coupled with a study of trust in practical terms, based on Ricœur’s approach to healthcare relationships, or the perception of foreigners.