Hermeneutics means the study of interpretation or the methods of interpretation. In contemporary continental philosophy, hermeneutics is the philosophical study of interpretation and its consequences for our knowledge. Gadamer, Heidegger, and Ricoeur are some big names in the field.
If I'm not mistaken, the term actually comes from the study of the Bible. If you study the various ways the bible can be interpreted (e.g., allegorical, literal, moral, historical), you are studying biblical hermeneutics.
Anyhow, I'm not put off by the word; it's one of my favorites!
I suppose I should have clarified the specific reason for my disdain: it's not the meaning of the word, but the way it sounds. Also, I think at times the word can be used unnecessarily.
"First Things means, first, that the first thing to be said about public life is that public life is not the first thing. First Things means, second, that there are first things, in the sense of first principles, for the right ordering of public life."
“A free society cannot survive if we are so free that nothing is expected of us.”
3 comments:
Ugh. I had a colleague of mine deliver an entire paper on the hermeneutics of Locke's theology or some such. That was brutal to read.
Hermeneutics means the study of interpretation or the methods of interpretation. In contemporary continental philosophy, hermeneutics is the philosophical study of interpretation and its consequences for our knowledge. Gadamer, Heidegger, and Ricoeur are some big names in the field.
If I'm not mistaken, the term actually comes from the study of the Bible. If you study the various ways the bible can be interpreted (e.g., allegorical, literal, moral, historical), you are studying biblical hermeneutics.
Anyhow, I'm not put off by the word; it's one of my favorites!
Hi Kyle,
I appreciate your precise definition.
I suppose I should have clarified the specific reason for my disdain: it's not the meaning of the word, but the way it sounds. Also, I think at times the word can be used unnecessarily.
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