Abstract

This paper analyzes the methodological use of dialectic in the philosophy of Paul Ricœur, arguing that at its core this philosophy is moved by the dynamics stemming from the interaction between conflict and conciliation. In sketching an alternative model to better understand Ricoeur’s original approach to philosophy, my rational reconstruction of his method assesses his “post-Hegelian Kantism”, the procedures of conflict, mediation, conciliation and dialectic and the importance of the engaged reader. I will contend that one of Ricoeur’s lasting contributions to philosophy is to show how one can be original while being thorough and that the enlarged perspective built by his thinking together successfully explains phenomena by avoiding reductionism and striving for the quest of new meaning through a process of perpetual reinterpretation.