Proof and persuasion: The powers of classical rhetoric in Paul Ricœur's philosophy

This article explores Paul Ricœur’s philosophical reflections on the intersection of rhetoric and historiography, with particular attention to how narrative configuration and imagination play a central role in the representation of historical reality. Drawing primarily from La Métaphore vive, Temps et récit, and La Mémoire, l’histoire, l’oubli, the article examines how Ricœur conceives of the narrative act as a synthesis of epistemological rigor and rhetorical strategy. Ricœur argues that historical discourse cannot be reduced to mere factual reconstruction or to narrative artifice; rather, it involves a dynamic interplay between proof (documentary evidence), explanation and persuasion (rhetorical imagination, narrative configuration). The article emphasizes the ethical and cognitive function of rhetoric, especially through the concept of faire voir—the act of “making see”—which grants narrative its emotional and moral intensity. Drawing on Aristotle’s enargeia/energeia, as well as insights from Louis Marin and Hayden White, Ricœur discusses the visual and affective power of metaphor and narrative in shaping historical understanding. Particular attention is given to how historiography deals with singular, traumatic events such as the Holocaust, where the vividness and visibility afforded by narrative imagination serve both mnemonic and ethical purposes. The article ultimately contends that Ricœur offers a robust epistemological framework for understanding the unique referentiality of historical discourse—one that resists both naïve realism and radical constructivism. In times marked by post-truth and disinformation, Ricœur’s insistence on the bond between narrative, reference, and truth proves more relevant than ever. His thought warns against rhetorical closure and highlights the responsibility of historians to maintain both critical distance and ethical engagement through narrative representation.