Ricoeur: Freud and Philosophy

To prepare for a possible class this fall on time and narration, I'm reading some Paul Ricoeur--someone I've heard a lot about but never read. The first part of _Freud and Philosophy_ is the "problematic." The "epistemological problem" he addresses in this first part is "What is interpretation in psychoanalysis, and how is the interpretation of the signs of man interrelated with the economic explanation that claims to get at the root of desire?" (p xii).

Here are a few definitions Ricouer offers early in part one:

Hermeneutics: The "theory of the rules presiding over an exegesis (the interpretation of a particular text)" (8).

Symbol: A "double or multiple meaning linguistic expression that requires an interpretation" (9).

Interpretation: A "work of understanding that aims at deciphering symbols" (9).

Sign (distinguished from "symbol"): A double duality consisting of the signifier-signified duality and the duality between the entire signifier-signified relationship and the thing or object designated by this relationship (12).

Symbols (again, in relation to "sign"): "Multiple-meaning expressions whose semantic texture is correlative to the work of interpretation that explicates their second or multiple meanings" (13).

Francis Bacon on Reading

Francis Bacon: “Read not to contradict and confute; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.” Wise words for those trying to engage responsibly and lovingly with the authors one is reading--the weighing and considering demands a deep reflection upon the work in question, before one writes or speaks in response.