The Act of Reading in Paul Ricoeur’s Philosophy

In this paper the author considers the problem of the act of reading in Paul Ricoeur’s philosophy. Distinguishing between the methodological level and the speculative level of this problem, it first discusses the method and style of Ricoeur’s philosophising. This can be summarised through the frame of a critical hermeneutics and, subsequently, of the philosophical fulcrum, centred on the hermeneutic–anthropological dimension and on the concept of narrative identity. The main thesis is that the ultimate justification of Ricoeur’s literary choices and his way of approaching texts and the act of reading are justified by his specific vision of the human being. Philosophical hermeneutics can lead to profile and deepen this vision.