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  1. Home
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  3. Understanding Hermeneutics
  • This book is no longer available to purchase from Cambridge Core
  • Cited by 30
Publisher:
Acumen Publishing
Online publication date:
February 2013
Print publication year:
2006
Online ISBN:
9781844653843
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/UPO9781844653843
Subjects:
Philosophy of Mind and Language, Philosophy
Series:
Understanding Movements in Modern Thought
Information

Book description

Hermeneutics concerns itself with the theory of understanding and the interpretation of language. The question of how to correctly interpret and understand others remains one of the most contested branches of philosophy. In Understanding Hermeneutics Lawrence Schmidt provides an introduction to modern hermeneutics through a systematic examination of the ideas of its key philosophical proponents. Chapter 1 examines the ideas of the Protestant theologian, Friedrich Schleiermacher, who argues that misunderstanding is always possible so we must always employ interpretation if we are to understand correctly. Chapter 2 discusses the ideas of Dilthey, who maintains that understanding in the humanities is fundamentally different from explanation in the natural sciences, and who presents a methodology to judge what another person means or feels by means of their language and also their gestures, facial expressions, and manners of acting. Chapter 3 explores the ideas of Heidegger who radicalizes the concept by shifting its focus from interpreting texts to an existential interpretation of human being. In Chapter 4 the recent ideas of Gadamer are examined, which extend to examining the structures of hermeneutic experience and to question the supremacy of the natural sciences as models for truth. The final chapters consider some of the criticisms and controversies surrounding hermeneutics, including the work of Habermas, Hirsch, Ricoeur and Derrida, and the prospects for the future of hermeneutics.

Reviews

"A very clear, concise and informative survey of contemporary philosophical hermeneutics – written in a style and at a level that makes the book an accessible introduction to the issues for the student and general reader."

Quingjie Wang

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