Paul Ricoeur Between Theology and Philosophy: Detour and Return

Paul Ricoeur (1913--2005) remains one of philosophy of religion's most distinctive voices. While Ricoeur claimed he was a philosopher first, his religious reflections show him to be more of a theologian than he thought. Using Ricoeur's own hermeneutics, Boyd Blundell argues that there is a way for explicitly Christian theology to maintain both its integrity and overall relevance. He demonstrates how the dominant pattern of detour and return found throughout Ricoeur's work provides a path to understanding the relationship between philosophy and theology. By putting Ricoeur in dialogue with current, fundamental, and longstanding debates about the role of philosophy in theology, Blundell offers a hermeneutically sensitive engagement with Ricoeur's thought from a theological perspective.

Paul Ricoeur (1913-2005) remains one of philosophy of religion's most distinctive voices. Ricoeur was a philosopher first, and while his religious reflections are very relevant to theology, Boyd Blundell argues that his philosophy is even more so. Using Ricoeur's own philosophical hermeneutics, Blundell shows that there is a way for explicitly Christian theology to maintain both its integrity and overall relevance. He demonstrates how the dominant pattern of detour and return found throughout Ricoeur's work provides a path to understanding the relationship between philosophy and theology. By putting Ricoeur in dialogue with current, fundamental, and longstanding debates about the role of philosophy in theology, Blundell offers a hermeneutically sensitive engagement with Ricoeur's thought from a theological perspective.
Boyd Blundell is Assistant Professor of Ethics in the Department of Religious Studies at Loyola University, New Orleans.