Although there has always been a hermeneutic problem in Christianity, the hermeneutic question today seems to us a new one.
Paul RicoeurRead
Myth expresses in terms of the world - that is, of the other world or the second world - the understanding that man has of himself in relation to the foundation and the limit of his existence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Myth represents humanity's self-awareness in context to existence's boundaries and foundations.
This quote by Paul Ricoeur highlights how myths serve as a reflection of human understanding, encompassing our relationship with existence's fundamental questions and limits. It suggests that through myths, we narrate our perceptions of self and the universe, using these stories to explore and express our place within the larger scope of reality.
Themes
MythExistenceSelfUnderstandingHumanity
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on mythology, one might say, 'As Paul Ricoeur noted, myth expresses our understanding of existence.'
More from Paul Ricoeur
All quotes →The narrative constructs the identity of the character, what can be called his or her narrative identity, in constructing that of the story told. It is the identity of the story that makes the identity of the character.
Paul RicoeurRead
If it is true that there is always more than one way of construing a text, it is not true that all interpretations are equal.
Paul RicoeurRead
But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny. Myth expresses in terms of the world - that is, of the other world or the second world - the understanding that man has of himself in relation to the foundation and the limit of his existence. Hence to demythologize is to interpret myth, that is, to relate the objective representations of the myth to the self-understanding which is both shown and concealed in it.
Paul RicoeurRead
On a cosmic scale, our life is insignificant, yet this brief period when we appear in the world is the time in which all meaningful questions arise.
Paul RicoeurRead
Testimony demands to be interpreted because of the dialectic of meaning and event that traverses it.
Paul RicoeurRead
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