Discursivity. On the logical explanation of Ricoeur's hermeneutics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55245/energeia.2009.004Keywords:
Discourse, Communication, Distanciation, Text, Rhetorics, Poetics, Hermeneutics, Reflexivity, Dialogue, Work.Abstract
This article explores the logical dimensions of Ricoeur’s definition of Discursivity. This is a key aspect for understanding not only the general meaning of Hermeneutics, but also the particular relevance of the concept in the author’s practical philosophy. Ricoeur developed his theory of Discourse after introducing a semiologic turn to his Phenomenological work. Discourse is not reduced to immediate (dialogical) communication, even though it begins with it. Taken as a principle of discursive historicity, text plays a major role in the constitution of this theory – it is considered as a model for detachment in communication. Ricoeur distinguishes different levels of meaning (word, sentence, text, culture) and separates three discursive dimensions, irreducible to one another: Rhetorics, Poetics and Hermeneutics. At this point, the article should explain the role of Hermeneutics, particularly when compared to the other two disciplines. The article will conclude by underlining the role of Reflexivity and the analogical unity of Discursivity.