Instead, Ricoeur proposes a "shattered Cogito"—a self that is reflective, interpretive, and deeply bound to language, time, and ethics. The Key Distinction: Idem vs. Ipse Identity
Open to change, time, and relationships. It has no permanent physical substrate.
Promise and Fidelity
: Ricoeur argues that the self is defined by its "power to do". This "capable self" emerges through specific human capacities: speaking, acting, narrating, and being held accountable. Dialectic of Identity (Idem vs. Ipse) : paul ricoeur oneself as another pdf
Ricoeur doesn't offer a single, simple definition of the self. Instead, he builds his argument in stages, each step designed to address a different philosophical problem.
Ricoeur argues that you cannot know yourself without the mediation of the Other. This happens in three stages:
The book's final section is where Ricoeur builds his "philosophical ethics," moving from a theory of the self to a full-blown moral philosophy. He famously argued for the primacy of ethics over morality, and of morality over practical wisdom. His framework is a three-part teleological arc: Instead, Ricoeur proposes a "shattered Cogito"—a self that
Ricoeur introduces the concept of emplotment (mimesis) to describe the process of configuring events into a meaningful narrative. Emplotment is not merely a cognitive process but an existential one, as it allows individuals to make sense of their experiences and create a sense of self.
By distinguishing between idem and ipse , Ricoeur allows for the self to remain consistent while still being capable of transformation. 🎭 The Narrative Self: How We Make Sense of Who We Are
Ricoeur's work engages with various philosophical traditions, including phenomenology (e.g., Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger), hermeneutics (e.g., Hans-Georg Gadamer), and analytic philosophy (e.g., Donald Davidson). His ideas have influenced a wide range of fields, including philosophy, literary theory, anthropology, and psychology. It has no permanent physical substrate
Quickly scanning the text for specific occurrences of terms like "alterity," "ipseity," "solicitude," or "practical wisdom."
The foundational premise of Oneself as Another relies on a linguistic distinction regarding identity that is often lost in the single English word "same." Ricœur splits identity into two distinct concepts:
By applying the tools of analytic philosophy, Ricoeur shows that the self is not a fixed "what" (a substance) but an answer to a "who" (a dynamic agent). This shifts the entire discussion of personal identity from a static property to an ongoing, practical activity.
The title of the book contains its most profound philosophical argument. The word as (comme) does not merely mean "similar to." It implies that the self cannot be understood without the mediation of the Other. Ricœur writes: