Hermeneutics

"Philosophical hermeneutics" redirects here. For other uses, see Hermeneutics (disambiguation). For the history of hermeneutics, see History of hermeneutics.

Friedrich Schleiermacher
Wilhelm Dilthey
Hans-Georg Gadamer
Paul Ricœur
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Hermeneutics (/hɜːrməˈnjuːtɪks/)[1] is the theory and methodology of interpretation,[2][3] especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts.[4][5] As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication.[6]

Modern hermeneutics includes both verbal and non-verbal communication,[7][8] as well as semiotics, presuppositions, and pre-understandings. Hermeneutics has been broadly applied in the humanities, especially in law, history and theology.

Hermeneutics was initially applied to the interpretation, or exegesis, of scripture, and has been later broadened to questions of general interpretation.[9] The terms hermeneutics and exegesis are sometimes used interchangeably. Hermeneutics is a wider discipline which includes written, verbal, and nonverbal[7][8] communication. Exegesis focuses primarily upon the word and grammar of texts.

Hermeneutic, as a count noun in the singular, refers to some particular method of interpretation (see, in contrast, double hermeneutic).

  1. ^ "hermeneutics". Collins English Dictionary.
  2. ^ "The American Heritage Dictionary entry: hermeneutics". www.ahdictionary.com. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
  3. ^ "Definition of HERMENEUTICS". www.merriam-webster.com. December 2023.
  4. ^ Audi, Robert (1999). The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 377. ISBN 978-0521637220.
  5. ^ Reese, William L. (1980). Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion. Sussex: Harvester Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0855271473.
  6. ^ Zimmermann, Jens (2015). Hermeneutics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 9780199685356.
  7. ^ a b The Routledge Companion to Philosophy in Organization Studies, Routledge, 2015, p. 113.
  8. ^ a b Joann McNamara, From Dance to Text and Back to Dance: A Hermeneutics of Dance Interpretive Discourse, PhD thesis, Texas Woman's University, 1994.
  9. ^ Grondin, Jean (1994). Introduction to Philosophical Hermeneutics. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-05969-4. p. 2