Pain and Suffering: In Conversation with Paul Ricœur
In this contribution, I focus on three key questions that arise when engaging with Ricœur’s lecture, “Suffering is Not Pain.” The first is the methodological issue concerning the philosopher’s role, particularly in taxonomizing. I will examine mental taxonomy, as well as taxonomy more broadly, befo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Études Ricoeuriennes / Ricoeur Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ricoeur.pitt.edu/ojs/ricoeur/article/view/672 |
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| Summary: | In this contribution, I focus on three key questions that arise when engaging with Ricœur’s lecture, “Suffering is Not Pain.” The first is the methodological issue concerning the philosopher’s role, particularly in taxonomizing. I will examine mental taxonomy, as well as taxonomy more broadly, before turning to pain and suffering more specifically. I then move to Ricœur’s characterization and contrast of suffering and pain throughout the lecture. Following this, I expand on Ricœur’s definition of suffering as a diminution of the power to act by incorporating my own account of suffering as a significant disruption to agency. I explore how this expanded view can contribute to a deeper investigation of Ricœur’s agentive hypothesis of suffering within each of his three identified “moments” of suffering, thus enhancing our understanding of the specific agentive challenge that suffering represents.
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| ISSN: | 2156-7808 |