Hermeneutics is the theory of text interpretation, especially the interpretation of
biblical texts,
wisdom literature, and
philosophical texts. The terms "hermeneutics" and "
exegesis"
are sometimes used interchangeably. Hermeneutics is a wider discipline
that includes written, verbal, and nonverbal communication. Exegesis
focuses primarily upon texts. Hermeneutic, as a singular noun, refers to
a single particular method or strand of interpretation (
see, in contrast,
double hermeneutic). The understanding of any written text requires hermeneutics.
Hermeneutics initially applied to the interpretation, or exegesis, of
scripture. It emerged as a theory of human understanding beginning in
the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries through the work of
Friedrich Schleiermacher and
Wilhelm Dilthey.
Modern hermeneutics includes both verbal and nonverbal communication as well as
semiotics,
presuppositions, and preunderstandings.
Hermeneutic consistency refers to the analysis of texts to achieve a coherent explanation of them.
Philosophical hermeneutics refers primarily to the
theory of knowledge initiated by
Martin Heidegger and developed by
Hans-Georg Gadamer in his work
Truth and Method. It sometimes refers to the theories of
Paul Ricoeur.
Etymology
Hermeneutics is derived from the Greek word
ἑρμηνεύω (
hermeneuō, 'translate' or 'interpret').
It was introduced into philosophy mainly through the title of
Aristotle's work
On Interpretation, commonly referred to by its Latin title
De Interpretatione. It is one of the earliest (c. 360
B.C.) extant philosophical works in the
Western tradition to deal with the relationship between language and logic in a comprehensive, explicit, and formal way.
The early usage of "hermeneutics" places it within the boundaries of the
sacred.
A
divine
message must be received with implicit uncertainty regarding its truth.
This ambiguity is an irrationality; it is a sort of madness that is
inflicted upon the receiver of the message. Only one who possesses a
rational method of interpretation (i.e., a hermeneutic) could determine
the truth or falsity of the message.
Folk etymology
Folk etymology places its origin with
Hermes, the mythological Greek
deity who was the 'messenger of the gods'.
Besides being a mediator between the gods and between the gods and men, he led souls to the
underworld upon death.
Hermes was also considered to be the inventor of language and speech, an interpreter, a liar, a thief, and a trickster.
These multiple roles made Hermes an ideal representative figure for
hermeneutics. As Socrates noted, words have the power to reveal or
conceal and can deliver messages in an ambiguous way.
The Greek view of language as consisting of signs that could lead to
truth or to falsehood was the essence of Hermes, who was said to relish
the uneasiness of those who received the messages he delivered.
Aristotle and Plato
In
De Interpretatione,
Aristotle offers a theory which lays the groundwork for many later theories of
interpretation and
semiotics:
“ |
Words spoken are symbols or signs (symbola) of affections or impressions (pathemata) of the soul (psyche); written words are the signs of words spoken.
As writing, so also is speech not the same for all races of men.
But the mental affections themselves, of which these words are primarily signs (semeia), are the same for the whole of mankind, as are also the objects (pragmata) of which those affections are representations or likenesses, images, copies (homoiomata). [De Interpretatione, 1.16a4] |
” |
Equally important to later developments are some ancient texts on
poetry,
rhetoric, and
sophistry:
However, these texts deal with the presentation and refutation of
arguments, speeches, and poems rather than with the understanding of
texts
per se. As Ramberg and Gjesdal note, "Only with the Stoics,
and their reflections on the interpretation of myth, do we encounter
something like a methodological awareness of the problems of textual
understanding."
Some ancient Greek philosophers, particularly Plato, vilified poets and poetry as harmful nonsense. In
The Republic, Plato denied poets entry into his "ideal state" until they could prove their value. In
Ion, Plato famously portrayed poets as possessed:
“ |
You
know, none of the epic poets, if they're good, are masters of their
subject; they are inspired, possessed, and that is how they utter all
those beautiful poems. The same goes for lyric poets if they're good:
just as the Corybantes
are not in their right minds when they dance, lyric poets, too, are not
in their right minds when they make those beautiful lyrics, but as soon
as they sail into harmony and rhythm they are possessed by Bacchic frenzy. [ Plato, Ion, 533e–534a] |
” |
The meaning of the poem thus becomes open to ridicule. Whatever hints
of truth it may have, the truth is covered up by madness. However,
another line of thinking arose with
Theagenes of Rhegium, who suggested that, instead of taking poetry literally, it ought to be taken as
allegories
of nature. Stoic philosophers further developed this idea, reading into
poetry both allegories of nature and allegories of ethical behavior.
Aristotle differed with his predecessor, Plato, about the worth of poetry. Both saw art as an act of
mimesis,
but where Plato saw a pale, essentially false, imitation of reality,
Aristotle saw the possibility of truth in imitation. As critic David
Richter points out, "For Aristotle, artists must disregard incidental
facts to search for deeper universal truths." Thus, instead of being
essentially false, poetry may be universally true. [Richter,
The Critical Tradition, 57]
(Source Wikipedia)