Introduction. La place de la souffrance dans la pensée de Ricœur

Authors

  • Luz Ascarate Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
  • Astrid Chevance Université Paris Cité ; Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/errs.2024.686

Keywords:

suffering, pain, phenomenology, semiology, existentialism

Abstract

In Paul Ricœur's thought, suffering is primarily addressed from an existential and phenomenological perspective, as illustrated in the text of the lecture "Suffering is not Pain," delivered to an audience of psychiatrists. In this thematic issue, we present the very first English translation of this text. The contributions of the various authors explore Ricœur's definition of suffering as well as the dialogue he establishes between the philosophical and clinical approaches. By tracing the genealogy of suffering in Ricœur's systematic work, this introduction highlights the conceptual shifts resulting from methodological changes, notably the transition from eidetic phenomenology to a hermeneutic phenomenology with ontological implications, along with the plurality of his motivations and interests (psychoanalytic, theological). Suffering, as the negativity of existence, while exposed to the risk of a solipsistic affect, nonetheless unfolds a unique semiology, in an openness to the other, which Ricœur inquires in "Suffering is not Pain."

Published

2024-12-20

Issue

Section

Articles