Published in 1990, Oneself as Another (Soi-même comme un autre) is one of Paul Ricoeur’s most significant works. It marks a shift from his earlier focus on hermeneutics and narrative toward a more explicit engagement with ethics, responsibility, and justice. The book develops a philosophical anthropology centered on the self in relation to others, exploring how identity, action, and moral responsibility are intertwined.
The Capable Self
At the heart of Oneself as Another is the notion of the capable self. Ricoeur emphasizes human beings as agents who can act, speak, narrate, and be responsible. He explores capacities such as:
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Speaking – expressing meaning.
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Acting – initiating change in the world.
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Narrating – telling the story of one’s life.
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Taking Responsibility – being accountable for actions.
These capacities affirm human dignity and freedom, but also highlight the fragility and vulnerability of the self.
Narrative Identity
Building on Time and Narrative, Ricoeur deepens his theory of narrative identity. Identity, he argues, is not fixed but shaped through the stories we tell about ourselves. Two aspects stand in dynamic relation:
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Sameness (idem) – continuity, the stable features of identity.
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Selfhood (ipse) – the dynamic capacity to promise, act, and take responsibility.
The tension between sameness and selfhood reveals how identity is both enduring and open to transformation through time and relationships.
Oneself as Another
The title captures a paradox: we can only understand ourselves through others. Selfhood is never isolated—it is relational and dialogical. This echoes Ricoeur’s hermeneutics of the self: just as a text requires interpretation, the self requires mediation through symbols, narratives, and above all, encounters with others.
Ricoeur’s philosophy thus rejects a solitary, autonomous subject. Instead, selfhood emerges in reciprocity: recognizing the other is inseparable from recognizing oneself.
The Ethical Aim and Justice
This formula unites:
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The Good Life – inspired by Aristotle, the pursuit of flourishing.
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With and For Others – ethical life as relational and reciprocal.
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In Just Institutions – the political dimension of justice, fairness, and recognition.
Justice extends ethics into the public sphere, where institutions ensure fairness in the face of conflicting interests.
Practical Wisdom and Fragility
Ricoeur recognizes that life is full of conflicts between duties, values, and goods. Ethics requires practical wisdom (phronesis), the ability to judge and act in concrete situations. This Aristotelian idea balances universal moral norms with the complexities of lived experience.
At the same time, Ricoeur stresses the fragility of the self—its susceptibility to failure, guilt, and harm. Ethics is therefore not triumphalist but humble, oriented toward responsibility and forgiveness.
Oneself as Another: A Hermeneutics of the Self
Oneself as Another provides a profound account of selfhood, responsibility, and justice. By linking narrative identity with the ethical aim of “the good life with and for others, in just institutions,” Ricoeur bridges philosophy of language, hermeneutics, and moral philosophy.
This work remains a cornerstone in contemporary debates on ethics, identity, and recognition, showing how philosophy can illuminate both personal existence and political life.
Other Books by Ricoeur:
