The Position of Symbol and Myth in Paul Ricoeur's Philosophical Anthropology

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Kiyarash Zamani 1
Naser Gozashte 2
1 M.A. Graduate in Comparative Religions and Mysticism, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Comparative Religions and Mysticism, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran.
10.30497/prr.2025.247253.1959
Abstract
The question concerning the nature and significance of symbol and myth has always been one of the most fundamental and, at the same time, most challenging issues in the history of philosophy. From ancient Greece to the modern era, philosophers have proposed diverse approaches to explain the function and meaning of these two categories. Among them, Paul Ricoeur stands out as one of the foremost thinkers who, in the early phase of his thought, addressed the relationship between symbol, myth, and philosophical anthropology from a hermeneutical perspective. At this stage of his intellectual development, Ricoeur outlined the project of a philosophical anthropology, within which he defended the meaningfulness of symbolic systems and regarded symbols and myths as a privileged ground for understanding the human condition. From his viewpoint, humanity’s experience of evil constitutes a fundamental encounter that reveals an existential predicament—an experience that has found expression in what he calls the symbols of confession. Thus, through the recovery and interpretation of the hidden meanings embedded in these symbols, one may attain anthropological insight and understanding. In his analysis of the three symbols of confession—Defilement, Sin, and Guilt—Ricoeur identifies a subjective progression whereby evil gradually becomes internalized, and the human being comes to feel its weight within the unity of the self. Moreover, since myth, in Ricoeur’s view, confers a narrative dimension upon the symbol, these three symbols of confession are each narrated within four distinct mythic forms: “the Babylonian creation myth”, “the tragic vision of existence”, “the myth of the exiled soul”, and “the myth of Adam”.
Keywords
Paul Ricoeur
symbolism of evil
hermeneutical mythology
philosophical anthropology
Subjects
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