8.28.2008

is it just me?

Or is anyone else put off by the word hermeneutic?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

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.

Kyle Cupp said...

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!

Zach said...

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.