The interconnection of four approaches to history in Paul Ricoeur’s philosophy: textual, narrative, epistemological and public

The narrative paradigm dominates the philosophy of history but it needs to be supplemented and adjusted. Paul Ricoeur changes this paradigm. He writes about not only the narrative but also the textual, epistemological, and public approaches to history. Using the method of philosophical reconstruction and hermeneutic interpretation, the author of the paper analyzes the interconnection between these approaches. The study reveals the inclusion of the textual approach in Ricoeur's narrative representation of history. The article defines the narrative and textual foundations of Ricoeur's epistemological (historiographic) approach to history. In particular, the paper has established the identity between the method of historical interpretation and the dialectic of explanation and understanding of the text. The study discusses the public approach to history as a concept of the reflection of living memory in narratives. The article proves that in Ricoeur's philosophy the narrative definition of history is complicated by textual definition and is the basis of epistemological and public approaches to history. The results of the research can be used to study and criticize both Ricoeur's philosophy and narrative theory of history. In addition, the established interconnection of approaches can provide a methodological basis for philosophical analysis of history. It can be applied and supplemented by the representatives of historical and philosophical sciences.