Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
  1. Home
  2. Books
  3. Critical Hermeneutics
  • Cited by 150
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
December 2009
Print publication year:
1981
Online ISBN:
9780511609176
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511609176
Subjects:
Political Theory, Politics and International Relations, Philosophy, Political Philosophy
Information

Book description

This is a study in the philosophy of social science. It takes the form of a comparative critique of three contemporary approaches: ordinary language philosophy, hermeneutics and critical theory, represented here respectively by Ludwig Wittgenstein, Paul Ricoeur and Jürgen Habermas. Part I is devoted to an exposition of these authors' views and of the traditions to which they belong. Its unifying thread is their common concern with language, a concern which nonetheless reveals important differences of approach. For whereas ordinary language philosophers tend to treat linguistic activity as the ultimate object of inquiry, both Ricoeur and Habermas regard it as a medium which betrays more fundamental dimensions of human experience and the social world. Part II complements the exposition with a critical analysis of its central themes: the conceptualisation of action, the methodology of interpretation, and the theory of reference and truth. The author defends many aspects of the work of Ricoeur and Habermas, such as the emphasis on power and ideology, the strategy of depth interpretation, and the link between consensus and truth; but he argues that there are serious deficiencies and obscurities in their work. He proposes solutions to these difficulties and concludes with a sketch of a critical and rationally justified theory for the interpretation of action - a critical hermeneutics.

Reviews

‘John B. Thompson has made an invaluable contribution to current debate in the philosophy of the human sciences … Dr Thompson not only provides a lucid account of three partly convergent ways of treating the relationship between language, action and the world, but lays the critical foundation for his own approach, which he calls ‘critical hermeneutics’ … He is careful in his exposition and succinct in his criticism of Ricoeur and Habermas as well as the Wittgensteinians.’

Source: The Times Higher Education Supplement

‘John Thompson has produced two books that, it may be hoped, will continue the upsurge of interest in Ricoeur’s work … Placing Ricoeur in context with the more familiar ordinary language philosophy and critical theory of Habermas allows Thompson both to make Ricoeur’s work more accessible, and to outline a general problematic in social science, within which to establish his own ‘critical hermeneutics” … While Thompson’s relationship to critical theory remains ambiguous at times, he still puts forward an exciting programme. Its application in a concrete study of ideology, which Thompson promises, should prove a highly fruitful inquiry.’

Source: Sociology

‘Thompson pursues Ricoeur’s central questions with great rigour and imagination.’

Source: Political Studies

‘A magnificently organized and cogently argued work, one that constitutes a thematic account of important movements in contemporary philosophy and actively engages these movements in a philosophical manner that forces the reader into a dialogue with the author.’

Source: Heythrop Journal

Refine List

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×

Contents

Contents

Metrics

Full text views

Total number of HTML views: 0
Total number of PDF views: 0 *
Loading metrics...

Book summary page views

Total views: 0 *
Loading metrics...

* Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

Usage data cannot currently be displayed.