Philosopher Paul Riker: biography and interesting facts

Philosophy is a form of knowledge of the world, and each has its own. There are people who try to convey philosophy to others by speaking and writing, and this article will tell the story of the life of a philosopher.

Philosophers of the twentieth century

Philosophy, like history and literature, is conventionally divided into centuries, but many philosophers still remain our contemporaries (Plato, Kant or Descartes). However, time does not stand still, there is development in many areas, and people have to adapt to this and adapt to it. Therefore, new directions arise in different spheres, including philosophy (phenomenology, neo-Marxism, structuralism, neopositivism, etc.), and accordingly philosophers appear who want to convey the essence of these trends - Theodore Adorno, Michel Foucault, Paul Ricoeur, Bertrand Russell et al. Consider the life and work of one of them.

Paul Rieker: Biography

In 1913 in Valencia on February 27 one of the most famous philosophers of the 20th century was born. His name is Paul Ricker. He was orphaned early, his mother died almost immediately after his birth, and his father, who was an English teacher, died at the front during the First World War. His tutors were the grandfather and grandmother (father's parents) who were Protestants and belonged to a religious minority, which was very noticeable in Catholic France and influenced the life of little Paul.

He received his primary education by studying the Bible and going to church services. Further, Paul was able to enter the University of Rennes, then entered the University of Sorbonne, and after graduation began to teach philosophy at the Lyceum.

When the Second World War began, Paul became a soldier of the French army, and soon fell into captivity, but was able to continue his work and began translating the ideas of Husserl (the German philosopher who founded the phenomenological school).

After the war, Paul Rieker was able to return to teaching: first it was the University of Strasbourg, then the Sorbonne, and then the University of Nanterre. In 1971 he became a professor at the University of Chicago, and at the same time he taught at Yale University.

Paul Ricker died at the age of 92 in his home in France, it happened in 2005, when he fell asleep and did not wake up.

Personal life of the philosopher

The outstanding philosopher of the 20th century was Paul Riker. His personal life was formed when he was only 22 years old, but he met his wife as a child, and they were just friends for many years. Simone Leja gave birth to her husband 5 children: 4 sons and one daughter. They lived together for many years, raising children, and then grandchildren. Unfortunately, one son in the mid-80s committed suicide, the others are still alive. Riker's wife died shortly before the death of the philosopher.

Philosophical direction

и последователь феноменологии, которая появилась в Германии в начале 1910–х годов. Paul Ricker is a philosopher and follower of phenomenology, which appeared in Germany in the early 1910s. The main problem that stood in this direction is the knowledge of man as the foundation on which his life is built. How to create this foundation, from which to build it, if you do not resort to the chemical processes of the brain, that's what was the main task. The basic theory that was formulated by philosophers is that any knowledge is phenomena (phenomena) in the mind of a person.

Paul Riker went further and developed the idea of a direction such as hermeneutics, which was a continuation of phenomenology, but expressed through language. The main thesis was formulated as follows: you can interpret the world as well as interpret the text with the help of certain models.

(т.е. для понимания замысла литературного произведения, необходимо знать и понимать предложения, из которых состоит текст), так же должно происходить и в жизни: найти причину, почему произошло то или иное событие, докопаться до сути, разбирая его на части и т.д. For example, in hermeneutics there was such a thing as a hermeneutic circle - for understanding and interpreting some phenomenon and event, it is necessary to know its separate parts (that is, to understand the intent of a literary work, it is necessary to know and understand the sentences that make up the text) , The same must happen in life: to find the reason why this or that event happened, to get to the bottom, sorting it into parts, etc.

This direction and its research methods are used in social theory, in literature and aesthetics.

Riker believed that phenomenology and hermeneutics are inextricably linked, the first direction explores the perception of reality, the second - interprets the texts. Those. We perceive the world in a certain way, and then we interpret it in our opinion, organizing our world. Texts are everything that surrounds us, memory, language, word, faith, history. All this is a human experience and objects of perception.

Paul Ricoeur: Interesting Facts

Riker lived a long life, born in the early 20th century, after experiencing two world wars and having been captured, died in 1992 in the 21st century. He saw and understood a lot, always tried to convey his views to people, teaching at universities and doing literature on philosophy. There are several interesting facts that show how much his life was versatile.

When Paul Riker was in captivity, he continued to work and began to translate Husserl. The camp had a rich intellectual life - lectures and seminars were held, and later this place became an educational institution.

In 1969, at the University of Nantar, he was appointed dean and worked for two years. But after he was caught between two fires: politics and bureaucracy, he accepted the offer of the University of Chicago and went to work there for more than 20 years.

At the age of 91 he received a prize for his achievements in the humanities.

Riker was a very literate person and wrote many works on the phenomenon of human life, while covering completely different areas: language, symbols, signs, psychology, religion, literature and history, good and evil.

Ricer Field Awards

In 2000, Riker became the winner of Kyoto, a prize that is awarded every 4 years in three areas - fundamental sciences, philosophy and advanced technology.

In 2004, he received the Kluge Prize for his work in the humanities. This award is widely regarded as an analogue of the Nobel Prize.

The main works of the philosopher

More than 10 works were created by the philosopher at different periods of his life. Some were released more than 50 years ago, others - in old age. But before they were seen by the world, careful work was done to collect the materials, because it could not be otherwise, just so Paul Riker believed. You can see his photo on the Internet and in our article, but it's best to get acquainted with the work, holding the book in your hands, to understand the implied meaning.

The first work was created in 1947 and was called "Gabriel Marcel and Karl Jaspers", and at the latest he released in 2004, calling it "Way of recognition."

In 1960, Riker worked on a two-volume "Philosophy of the Will", it was during this period that he came to the direction of hermeneutics, when it was necessary to study the concept of evil. Paul believed that in order to comprehend evil, one must know myths and understand symbolism, and that's when he became interested in this direction, creating several works that brought him fame. He wrote such books as "Conflict of Interpretations" and "Theory of Interpretations", studied the works of Plato and Aristotle, in 1983 to 1985 released a three-volume "Time and story", exploring various theories of different times.

Famous quotations of the philosopher

Paul Ricker was an outstanding philosopher of his time. After many years his works will also be in demand, and quotes are relevant, it is only necessary to read a few and think:

"Every tradition lives through interpretation."

"The unity of human speech is a problem today".

"Silence opens the whole world before the hearer."

"To think is to go deeper."