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Perspectives on Ricoeur's early hermeneutics of subjectivity

In this thesis I examine the initial stage of Paul Ricoeur's hermeneutics of the "I am," focusing particularly on the question of method. / In Chapter 1 I analyze how psychoanalysis opens a space for Ricoeur's hermeneutics of "I am" by redirecting doubt towards the origins of meaning. I will try to show that the premises of this hermeneutics--the analogy between subjective manifestations and texts--preclude strong methodological commitments. / The Second Chapter focuses on the main argument Ricoeur makes in favor of method. His attempt to set in motion a dialectic between phenomenology of subjectivity and structuralism will be questioned with respect to the power this dialectic has to capture the "I" as the generative moment of the interpreted series of subjective manifestations. / Finally, with the analysis of Heidegger in Chapter 3, it will become apparent that the very framework of discussion in terms of subject-object, structure-event, signifier-signified has to be replaced by an ontological approach and that from this perspective subjectivity is ultimately beyond the grasp of any methodology. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.61099
Date January 1991
CreatorsCristian, Alin
ContributorsFisher, Linda (advisor)
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Arts (Department of Philosophy.)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 001270146, proquestno: AAIMM74704, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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