O Voluntary and Involuntary Attention according to Ricoeur's Phenomenology of the Will

Abstract

Paul Ricoeur considers duration as being the essence of both voluntary and involuntary attention. Extending the phenomenology of the will to the selectivity of attention, an involuntary response is perceived by the factuality of a body and the existence of underlying motives that motivate the will, while a voluntary response is perceived in the decision to attend. Ricoeur identifies a specific non-being of the will, approaching ontology from this non-being. Without extracting the essence of the concept, attention also has an ontological status, being understood by Ricoeur as a great receptivity, which meets the concept of mindfulness of Allan Wallace.