Paul Ricoeur and the Task of Political Philosophy

The various essays in Paul Ricoeur and the Task of Political Philosophy move along intersecting but different trajectories. First, the concept of the political is a pervasive notion that runs throughout Ricoeur's corpus. Accordingly, a theme throughout this book is this idea of the political, as well as how it relates to his better-known work in other areas. Second, issues in political philosophy are often best approached by a historical and dialectical understanding of those issues along with the thinkers responsible for the ideas. As such, Ricoeur's hermeneutical orientation moves him to engage contemporaries who in various ways attempt to "think forward" in various ways this tradition for current situations. In particular, Ricoeur goes where others dare not-namely, to those who appear to be opponents but offer perspectives worth more consideration in the name of the best political thinking. Thus, his hermeneutical orientation is a unique framework for understanding the nature of political engagement, highlighting the ways in which Ricoeur and a Ricoeurian perspective cross philosophical orientations to develop a distinctive understanding of political thought. Book jacket.

Greg S. Johnson is professor of philosophy at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of Elements of the Utopian (2011). Dan R. Stiver is Cook-Derrick Professor of Theology in the Logsdon School of Theology of Hardin-Simmons University. His publications include The Philosophy of Religious Language: Sign, Symbol, and Story (1996), Theology after Ricoeur: New Directions in Hermeneutical Theology (2001), Life Together in the Way of Jesus Christ: An Introduction to Christian Theology (2009), and Ricoeur and Theology (forthcoming).