Episode 112: Ricoeur on Interpreting Religion

Summary: On Paul Ricoeur's "The Critique of Religion" and "The Language of Faith" (1973).<br> <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2015/03/02/episode-111-gadamer-hermeneutics/" target="_blank">Last episode</a> taught us about hermeneutics, but how can this best be applied to the text for which hermeneutics was originally developed, i.e. the Bible? For Ricoeur, it's a two-way street: We need to change our understanding of the text (i.e. read it historically, recognizing for example that it was common to mythologize heroes in texts at the time), but also "put at risk" our own evaluative presuppositions, which under the tutelage of science have blinded us to symbolism and so left us unable to even sensibly ask the question "what is it to be saved?"<br> The regular four are joined by <a href="http://philosophy.okstate.edu/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=124:lawrence-ware" target="_blank">Lawrence Ware</a> to figure out what this "hermeneutics of suspicion" is all about. <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2015/03/13/topic112-ricoeur/" target="_blank">Read more about the topic and get the essays</a>.<br> Support the podcast by <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/membership-options/" target="_blank">becoming a PEL Citizen</a> or <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/shopdonate/" target="_blank">making a donation</a>.<br> End song: A live performance (recorded via camcorder) by <a href="http://marklint.com/fake.html" target="_blank">Mark Lint and the Fake</a> from Dec. '98 in Austin, TX of the Elvis tune "Suspicious Minds."<br> Make sure to join us for the Aftershow on March 22 at 4pm central. <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/groups/ep-112-ricoeur-aftershow/" target="_blank">Go sign up to participate!</a><br> Sponsor: Visit <a href="http://thegreatcourses.com/PEL" target="_blank">thegreatcourses.com/PEL</a>, for massive discounts on great lectures.<br> The Ricoeur picture is by <a href="http://www.instagram.com/sterlingbartlett" target="_blank">Sterling Bartlett</a>.<br>