THEO 5415 Ricoeur and the Problem of Evil

This course explores Paul Ricoeur's reflections on the problem of evil engaging both his major works on this topic: The Symbolism of Evil and Evil: A Challenge to Philosophy and Theology. Ricoeur's inquiry starts from the hermeneutics of the elementary symbols of evil (defilement, sin, and guilt), and then develops an original theory of myths about the origin of evil (the myths of the primordial chaos, the tragic myth, Adams myth, and the myth of the exiled soul). Finally, his reflection concludes by examining the problem of evil in the great systems of the philosophical tradition.