A Dialogue Between Evolving Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Paul Ricoeur’s Philosophical Anthropology

Taking elements of Ricoeur's thought, practicing psychoanalysts shed light on the psychoanalytic tradition and enrich clinical reflection.

Beginning with Sigmund Freud, the relationship between philosophy and psychoanalysis has been complicated, falling short of its mutually enriching potential. In his entire oeuvre, Paul Ricoeur made a sustained effort to construct an innovative bridge of linguistic-based alignment and connection between the two disciplines. This volume builds on that bridge and contributes to a long-overdue dialogue.

Ricoeur both embraced and challenged the Freudian legacy. His engagement with the Freudian opus was a vehicle for his philosophical anthropology, emphasizing the future orientation of imagination and the power of the possible. Over the last sixty years, psychoanalysis has slowly moved in the direction of broadening analytic theory, but the impact of Ricoeur's challenging commentary has continued to evolve. The contributors to this volume explore this evolution, clarifying the connections between philosophy and psychoanalysis and finally bringing the two into fruitful conversation.