Does the biblical text allow us to philosophize? : The ethical-epistemological conversion of the reader in Paul Ricoeur

Abstract

This article is based on the hypothesis that the biblical text, as a literature of revelation, read from a philosophical-hermeneutic perspective, can activate an ontological potential capable of reshaping the reader's worldview and guiding their ethical actions. We situate our investigation within the context of a philosophical shift that occurred in the 20th century, in which the field of philosophy opened up to biblical exegesis. Drawing on the contributions of Paul Ricoeur, we propose to examine whether, and to what extent, the narrative language of Scripture, by incorporating itself into the subject's understanding of self and the world, enables the subject to a new understanding of these same things. By adopting the method of textual hermeneutics, inspired by Ricoeur's approach, we seek to explore whether this reading engenders a transformation in the reader that transcends the cognitive plane and impacts their relational ethics. This is, therefore, an investigation into the role of biblical language and narrative as mediators of meaning and responsibility.