French Philosopher Paul Ricoeur -- Rest in Peace

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Subject: French Philosopher Paul Ricoeur

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died May 20

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Date Posted: May 24, 2005 12:27:25 EDT

Paul Ricoeur, 92, a French philosopher whose interests included biblical interpretation and the study of human perception, died May 20 at his home in Chatenay-Malabry, France, west of Paris. The cause of death was not reported.

Born in the southeastern France town of Valence, Dr. Ricoeur was orphaned at an early age. But he was able to go to school and received a doctorate at the University of Rennes in western France. He was teaching in a high school when World War II broke out and spent most of the war in a German prison camp.

After the war, he held various teaching positions -- including prestigious posts at the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Chicago. He also worked for the elite National Center for Scientific Research and was active in the Socialist Party.

He was perhaps best known for his work in the field of phenomenology -- the study of how perceptions of events shape a person's reality -- and sought to understand how people could overcome weaknesses and doubts by looking at their spiritual heritage.

The author of at least 20 books, Dr. Ricoeur examined an array of subjects, including guilt and evil, linguistics, psychology, Marxism, religion and the role of ethics in politics.

In November, he and U.S. historian Jaroslav Pelikan were each awarded a share of the $1 million John W. Kluge Prize in the Human Sciences, set up in 2003 to honor achievement in fields not covered by the Nobel.

"We lose today more than a philosopher," French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said in a statement. "The entire European humanist tradition is mourning one of its most talented spokesmen."

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