La post-modernità e il soggetto del racconto

Various models of strong notions of subjectivity have been elaborated throughout modernity, from rationalism to idealism, and these notions were able to face the changing of cultures and ages. On the other hand, postmodern seems to be the age that calls into question the modern notion of subject and the possibility throughout history to give life a meaning and to give actions an orientation. In particular, postmodern has led to rethinking the notion of person, which can be no longer considered as unity of substance, equality or convention. This is the context where Ricoeur’s proposal is set. The author suggests that the notion of identity must be reconsidered, starting from its historical formulations and from the criticism that postmodern has moved to every classical notion of subject. Ricoeur then indicates a notion of narrative identity, which is engraved in personal stories and in their relations within a common history. This becomes a category of ontology of praxis. Human identity expresses itself as permanence in time, faithfulness to a promise, participation in a common origin, which allows experiences and responsible choices in the narrations, that it is able to generate and share.