The Conflict of Interpretations

Incredible originality of thought in areas as vast as phenomenology, religion, hermeneutics, psychoanalysis, intersubjectivity, language, Marxism, and structuralism has made Paul Ricoeur one of the philosophical giants of the twentieth century. The way in which Ricoeur approaches these themes makes his works relevant to the reader today: he writes with honesty and depth of insight into the core of a problem, and his ability to mark for future thought the very path of philosophical inquiry is nearly unmatched. The Conflict of Interpretations brings together twenty-two later essays by Ricoeur under the topics of structuralism, psychoanalysis, hermeneutics and phenomenology, the symbolism of evil, and religion and faith. Those interested in Ricoeur's development of the philosophy of language will find rich and suggestive reading. But the diversity of essays also reaches beyond the confines of philosophy to linguistics, theology, psychology, and psychoanalysis. This volume and the other new editions of Ricoeur's texts published by Northwestern University Press have joined the canon of contemporary continental philosophy and continue to contribute to emergent discussions in the twenty-first century. Book jacket.