Gadamer’s Hermeneutics: How to Interpret

On Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Truth and Method (1960, ch. 4), “Aesthetics and Hermeneutics” (1964), “The Universality of the Hermeneutical Problem” (1966), and “Hermeneutics as Practical Philosophy” (1972).

Hemeneutics is all about interpretation, primarily of texts, but of other things too, and Gadamer thinks that even if we learn all about the history and customs and probable authorial mindset of a text, there’s still not a single, correct interpretation. We can’t just put aside our prejudices to get to such an objective truth, and in fact without the baggage we bring to a text, we have no purchase from which to begin an interpretation.

Mark, Seth, Wes, and Dylan try to get through all this rich material, discussing science vs. philosophy (again!), modern art, what it is to be practical, and lots more.

End song: “The Default Relation,” a new song by Mark Lint. #gadamer #hermeneutics #interpretation #truth #aesthetics Go to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2015/03/02/episode-111-gadamer-hermeneutics/