Poetic Imaginative Mediation in the Self-understanding of the Subject: Ricoeur’s Contributions to Theology

Abstract

This article examines Paul Ricoeur’s reflections on the subject and on imagination, highlighting their relevance for a hermeneutical theology. It begins by revisiting his critique of the modern Cartesian self, captured in the image of the “wounded cogito.” It then explains how, in Ricoeur’s view, the self is shaped before the text through poetic-imaginative mediation and is clarified by the notions of ipseity and narrative identity, all while remaining responsive to the Bible’s own imaginative self-presentation. The discussion proceeds to trace the theological fruitfulness of Ricoeur’s hermeneutics in the work of three contemporary thinkers—Alain Thomasset, Eduardo Silva, and David F. Ford—each writing from a distinct discipline and cultural context yet converging in their creative appropriation of Ricoeur’s insights on subjectivity and imagination. Taken together, these engagements show how Ricoeur’s thought can invigorate theological discourse today.