14-16 September 2022 || Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Coimbra || Hybrid format (in person and on-line)

Guest Speakers:

Maria Luísa Portocarrero (Universidade de Coimbra), Marcelino Agís Villaverde (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela), Richard Kearney (Boston College), Fernando Nascimento (Bowdoin College), Daniel Frey (Universitè de Strasbourg), Beatriz Contreras Tasso (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)

Paul Ricœur developed a rich and multifaceted hermeneutic philosophy, based on the dialectics between tradition and innovation. At the core of this philosophy we find interpretation, first applied to symbols and signs, and later to texts, action, social phenomena and to the hermeneutics of personal and collective identities, in what he called the “hermeneutics of selfhood”. Here we find a philosophy that is original but which never does away with a long meditation of other theories, authors and works past and present, in a continuous dialogue that is simultaneously an enlarged thinking and a lesson in humility. This dialogue includes not only philosophy but also areas such as psychoanalysis, history, literary theory, classical studies, biblical studies, law or bioethics, among others.

The VIIth Ibero-American Congress on the Thought of Paul Ricœur, dedicated to the topic “Ricœur and the Classics” will take place on 14-16 September 2022 at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra, and it aims to foster reflections on the ricœurian recovery of classics, understood in a broad sense. Indeed, whether through his hermeneutical retrieval of traditions, or the analyses he dedicates to the great authors and works of the past, and which goes from the Greeks (Plato, Aristotle and the tragediographers) to the main strands of thought of the 20th century, not forgetting the Bible and the whole history of philosophy and mainly figures like Kant, Hegel or Husserl, we find in Ricœur’s works a fruitful analysis of the classics, and a trove of unexplored potential to reflect on the endless meaning of these great works to which we call “classics”.

This Congress calls for the submission of contributions exploring these possibilities of ricœurian philosophy, particularly welcoming proposals underlining the fruitfulness of this approach today, or that combine the ricœurian perspective with the one of other authors. The abstracts of the proposals might include, but need not be restricted to, the following non-exhaustive list of topics:

  • The reflection on the classics. What is a classic and how might we think its interpretation in the framework of hermeneutics (Gadamer, Ricœur, among others), literary theory or other areas?
  • Ricœur and the Greek and Latin classics;
  • Ricœur, Biblical Hermeneutics, and the hermeneutics and phenomenology of religion;
  • The importance and originality of the ricœurian analysis of the history of philosophy and of the fundamental works and authors of other areas to which he contributed;
  • The dialectic between tradition and innovation in hermeneutics, literary creation and in other areas.

The congress will take place in a hybrid format, in person but with the possibility of presenting remotely. We accept individual paper proposals (200-500 words) or panel proposals comprising three paper presentations on the same topic (max. 1000-1500 words). Paper proposals can be written in Portuguese, Spanish, English or French. All proposals must include a separate sheet with the title of the proposal, author’s name, institutional affiliation and e-mail address, as well as the author’s intention to present the paper in person or remotely. Paper proposals must clearly state the authorship of each communication and the order of the presentation.

All proposals must be sent to ricoeureosclassicos@gmail.com no later than July 20. Proposals received before the deadline will be notified promptly, before the deadline.

More information available in the webpage of the Congress at https://www.uc.pt/cech/vii-congresso-ibero-americano-sobre-o-pensamento-de-paul-ric-ur/