PAUL RICOEUR AND HERMENEUTICS – AN INTRODUCTION

Abstract

This article deals with hermeneutics in the thought of Paul Ricoeur. It shows how his approach to the theory of interpretation took place, that is, by the need to decipher the sign and the myth, for needing to restore and rediscover meaning and for operating on texts, in order to explain and understand discourses. Based on the paradigm of textuality, Ricoeur establishes his hermeneutic conception and debates with the romantic tradition, in addition to establishing dialogue with hermeneutic currents of his time. What he applied to the text was also extended to action, history and other realities, including the self, as wall as an excellent text to be explained and understood. Therefore, the scope of his contribution in this area is called hermeneutics of the self, which is guided by language and attracted by an ontology. Thus, for Ricoeur, hermeneutics is a method, it is a reflection on understanding and it is a kind of philosophy, that is, a way of thinking.