The article intends to discuss the place and role of the recognized French philosopher Paul Ricoeur in contemporary philosophy and culture. The author’s assumption is that Ricoeur has grown into one of the most influential and productive thinkers of the 20th century. In order to ground his statement, the author wishes to present, in what he calls an “unusual review”, the main features of the Ricoeurian life-work, especially for a non-French audience. The various chapters of the article examine the relevance of the author’s assumption about Ricoeur’s importance, by considering and classifying the French philosopher’s work in the context of the history of philosophy, by tracking the beginnings of Ricoeur’s philosophy, or by re-interpreting the philosopher’s theoretical achievement. *
* Dr. habil. Tamás Tóth is Professor, Head of Department, Department of Philosophy and Cultural History, Szent István University, Gödöllő, Hungary, and Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Philosophy, Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
