A reflection on the conception of the contemporary individual, based on two different perspectives: Paul Ricoeur and Byung-Chul Han

Abstract

The work presented arises from the review of the concept of the individual addressed by two authors, the contemporary author Byung-Chul Han and Paul Ricoeur, who has done hard work in terms of philosophical reflections and that is why their works continue with great validity and relevance in philosophy, psychology and anthropology. The differences in the perspectives of these authors are sought with the aim of obtaining a comparative reflection that serves as a starting point for the understanding and analysis of the ways in which the individual is conceptualized. One of the main differences is that Paul Ricoeur presents his contributions based on a given methodology, compared to Byung-Chul Han who expresses his point without using a strenuous methodology and this has the consequence that it is not defined what the way of proceeding and may ramble when trying to express his position. Furthermore, Han addresses his presentation on the notion of the individual from a political system and the workplace, leaving aside fundamental issues such as the contemplation of the individual as an integral being that is involved in various spheres and contexts. Both authors reflect the internal characteristics of the individual, but there is a great difference in the way in which they take up essential aspects of consciousness, thoughts and even the actions carried out by it.