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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Main Author: Jennifer Corns
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University Library System, University of Pittsburgh 2024-12-01
Series:Études Ricoeuriennes / Ricoeur Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ricoeur.pitt.edu/ojs/ricoeur/article/view/672
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author Jennifer Corns
author_facet Jennifer Corns
author_sort Jennifer Corns
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description 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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series Études Ricoeuriennes / Ricoeur Studies
spelling doaj-art-db1c1c9f9cf0414fab3cfabc87244ebd2025-08-20T02:32:25ZengUniversity Library System, University of PittsburghÉtudes Ricoeuriennes / Ricoeur Studies2156-78082024-12-0115210.5195/errs.2024.672Pain and Suffering: In Conversation with Paul RicœurJennifer Corns0University of Glasgow 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. http://ricoeur.pitt.edu/ojs/ricoeur/article/view/672Ricœursufferingpaindifferences between pain and sufferingagency
spellingShingle Jennifer Corns
Pain and Suffering: In Conversation with Paul Ricœur
Études Ricoeuriennes / Ricoeur Studies
Ricœur
suffering
pain
differences between pain and suffering
agency
title Pain and Suffering: In Conversation with Paul Ricœur
title_full Pain and Suffering: In Conversation with Paul Ricœur
title_fullStr Pain and Suffering: In Conversation with Paul Ricœur
title_full_unstemmed Pain and Suffering: In Conversation with Paul Ricœur
title_short Pain and Suffering: In Conversation with Paul Ricœur
title_sort pain and suffering in conversation with paul ricoeur
topic Ricœur
suffering
pain
differences between pain and suffering
agency
url http://ricoeur.pitt.edu/ojs/ricoeur/article/view/672
work_keys_str_mv AT jennifercorns painandsufferinginconversationwithpaulricœur