The Origins of Schleiermacher’s Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics, as a formal discipline, is often considered to have begun with Friedrich Schleiermacher, who transformed it from a set of techniques for interpreting texts, particularly religious scriptures, into a general theory of understanding. Before Schleiermacher, hermeneutics was mainly focused on the interpretation of the Bible and legal documents. However, Schleiermacher expanded it to include the interpretation of all texts, and more fundamentally, the interpretation of all human expressions and activities, namely the arts and sciences. He proposed a hermeneutic methodology, which states that a text must be understood in relation to its historical context and the author’s psychological intent. The hermeneutical methodology originating from Schleiermacher influences Wilhelm Dilthey, Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Paul Ricoeur.

Phenomenology and Hermeneutics

Hans-Georg Gadamer was greatly influenced by Edmund Husserl’s phenomenology. Consciousness in phenomenology is always consciousness of something. This understanding of ‘intentionality’ always establishes a relationship between interpretation-subject and understanding-object, not only in understanding texts but also in works of art and historical events. In addition, in understanding Husserl’s ‘life-world’, Gadamer believed that the interpreter’s interpretation is considered by ‘context’ such as historicity, culture, and linguisticity, and was influenced by Heidegger’s phenomenological ontology to understand the text or work of art as an entity. This leads to the fusion of horizons(Horizontverschmelzung) between the interpreter and the text.

Main ideas

Hans-Georg Gadamer

• Major Work: “Truth and Method” (Wahrheit und Methode), published in 1960.
• Philosophical Approach: Gadamer’s hermeneutics is heavily influenced by Heidegger and focuses on the role of history and tradition in understanding. He emphasizes the importance of the historical context and preconceptions (prejudices) that the interpreter brings to a text or situation.
• Fusion of Horizons (Horizontverschmelzung): This idea suggests that understanding occurs through the intermingling of the interpreter’s historical context and perspective with that of the text or the author.
• Historical Consciousness: Gadamer argues that our understanding is shaped by our historical and cultural contexts, which we must acknowledge in the interpretive process.
• Dialogical Nature of Understanding: Understanding is seen as a dialogical process between the interpreter and the text, influenced by the traditions and prejudices of both.

Paul Ricoeur

• Major Works: Ricoeur’s key contributions include “Freud and Philosophy” and “Time and Narrative” among others.
• Philosophical Approach: Ricoeur’s hermeneutics combines phenomenological descriptions with a hermeneutic of interpretation. His work spans a broad range, including studies in phenomenology, existentialism, psychoanalysis, and narrative theory.
• Hermeneutic of Suspicion: Ricoeur discusses the importance of looking beneath surface meanings to uncover hidden structures and meanings, especially in the context of psychoanalytic and Marxist theories.
• Narrative Identity: He explores how people create a sense of self and identity through the narratives they construct about their lives.
• Interpretation as a Dialectical Process: Ricoeur views interpretation as a dialectical process between understanding and explanation, where deeper meanings are revealed through a back-and-forth movement between different levels of interpretation.

Antoine Berman

• Area of Focus: Berman, primarily known for his work in the field of translation studies, contributed significantly to the understanding of translation as a hermeneutic act.
• Philosophical Approach: Berman’s approach is grounded in the belief that translation goes beyond mere linguistic transfer and involves deep engagement with the cultural and philosophical dimensions of the original text.
• Ethics of Translation: He emphasizes an ethical approach to translation, advocating for a balance between respecting the integrity of the original text and making it accessible to the target language audience.
• Deforming Tendencies: Berman identifies certain tendencies in translation that can distort or deform the original text, and he advocates for a translation practice that is aware of and resists these tendencies.

1. Prof. Yoon of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies(abb. HUFS) is a full professor in the Department of Philosophy. His doctoral thesis was “A Study on the Subject Question in the Philosophy of Paul Ricoeur,” which he received from the Univ. de Paris XII (Univ. de Paris – Val – de Marne). ↩︎
2. Translation philosophy is distinctly different from hermeneutics. However, Prof. Yoon effectively argues philosophy of translation beyond hermeneutics from Antoine Berman. Introducing this book. ↩︎