Hermeneutics: A Preliminary Look by An Uninformed and Possibly Very Rash Ephektikoi
Citations not verified to existence of for relevance yet.
Note: This essay was prepared with the research assistance and ghostwriting of ChatGPT 4.0. No LLM-AI were harmed in the process, although I felt inclined to threaten such from time to time.
How much in this essay is wrong and how much is correct I cannot currently say. In general I have found ChatGPT can give reasonably good material in these sorts of things, but specialists will surely find things to disagree with. So (you may have seen this before) caveat lector1. I stand by the preface.
Author's Preface
Before we begin, I want to provide some context. Over the decades, I’ve read works by thinkers such as David Hume, John Locke, Bertrand Russell, Noam Chomsky, Paul Churchland, Michael Polanyi, and many others (Chomsky, 1966; Churchland, 1981; Hume, 1739; Locke, 1689; Polanyi, 1958; Russell, 1912). While I may have grasped some ideas and perhaps misunderstood others, one thing is certain: memory being as fallible as it is, I’ve likely forgotten more than I remember. I believe that our limited mental capabilities—our constrained sensorium and perceptual abilities, our restriction to limited direct experiences of the vast and the minute, the fast and the slow—and the nature of language to both abstract and limit the way we understand the world, means that everything is subjective. Objectivity? Does it even mean anything? The common belief is that there is a clear distinction between subjective and objective. But what does hermeneutics say on this matter?
I must also admit that my understanding of hermeneutics is extremely limited. While exploring this topic, I’ve noticed that it seems heavily focused on the interpretation of language. However, I'm not entirely convinced that it adequately addresses other vital aspects of human experience, such as awareness, thought, emotion, and perception—phenomena that are common to many beings, not just humans. These concerns will be explored within the broader context of hermeneutics in this essay.
Moreover, much of my thinking and writing seems to be trying to address some of the same perspectives on understanding as does hermeneutics. At this early stage of investigation, I may be wrong about this, of course, since I have just started to look at the discipline. However, I have long been taken with the notion that we don’t truly understand the world due to our limitations. Instead, we create an abstraction of it through language, and each person has their own unique abstraction and idiosyncratic understanding of words. We may think we are communicating, but it will inevitably be less than perfect due to the idiosyncratic models that each of us has. Some people may use the word "model" in discipline-specific ways and object to the way I use the term. Fie on them.
Summary
This essay provides an in-depth introduction to hermeneutics, a field focused on the art of interpretation, and explores how it connects to crucial areas like epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, cognitive science, and linguistics. It also delves into the concept of subjectivity and objectivity, questioning the common belief in their clear distinction and examining what hermeneutics has to say about the matter. Additionally, it raises questions about whether hermeneutics can sufficiently address broader aspects of human experience, such as awareness, thought, emotion, and perception, which are fundamental to beings beyond the scope of human language.
What Is Hermeneutics?
Hermeneutics is the study of interpretation, initially developed as a method for interpreting legal documents, religious scriptures, and other authoritative texts. It has since grown into a broader field that deals with interpreting all kinds of texts and even human experiences. The roots of hermeneutics can be traced back to scholars like Friedrich Schleiermacher, who stressed the importance of understanding an author's intentions and the historical context in which a text was written. Wilhelm Dilthey expanded hermeneutics further, arguing that understanding human experiences requires reconstructing their historical and cultural contexts (International Institute for Hermeneutics, 2023).
As the field evolved, philosophers like Martin Heidegger and Hans-Georg Gadamer introduced new dimensions. Heidegger suggested that interpretation is not just an intellectual exercise but a fundamental part of our being. We are always interpreting the world, whether we are reading a text, having a conversation, or simply observing our surroundings. Gadamer extended this idea, emphasizing that our understanding is shaped by our historical and cultural context, which he called our "horizon of meaning" (Gadamer, 1975).
Hermeneutics and Epistemology: The Quest for Knowledge
Epistemology, the study of knowledge, is deeply connected to hermeneutics. Both fields concern themselves with how we understand and know the world. Traditional epistemology often seeks objective, context-free knowledge, assuming there is a clear, unchanging truth discoverable through reason and evidence. Hermeneutics challenges this by arguing that all knowledge is interpretive and influenced by the context in which it is produced.
For example, when we read a historical document, our understanding of it is shaped by our experiences, beliefs, and cultural context. This implies that two people from different backgrounds might interpret the same text in very different ways. Hermeneutics suggests that instead of striving for an objective, one-size-fits-all interpretation, we should embrace the idea that understanding is always influenced by our context (Gadamer, 1975).
This perspective has significant implications for epistemology. If all knowledge is interpretive, the pursuit of absolute certainty might be misguided. Instead, we should focus on understanding how our interpretations are shaped by our context and how engaging with other perspectives can broaden our understanding. This approach resonates with modern epistemological theories, such as social constructivism, which also emphasize the role of context in shaping knowledge (Dreyfus, 1991).
Hermeneutics and the Philosophy of Mind: Beyond Language
The philosophy of mind is concerned with understanding the nature of consciousness, thought, and perception. Hermeneutics intersects with this field in its exploration of how we understand ourselves and others. Heidegger, for example, argued that understanding is not just an intellectual activity but a fundamental aspect of human existence. He suggested that our very being is interpretive—we are constantly making sense of the world around us, even before we consciously think about it (Heidegger, 1962).
However, this raises important questions about the scope of hermeneutics. While hermeneutics is powerful in explaining how we interpret language and texts, it is less clear how it addresses other aspects of human experience, such as awareness, thought, emotion, and perception. These experiences are common to many beings, not just humans, and they do not always involve language.
For instance, animals can perceive their environment, feel emotions, and react to stimuli in complex ways that do not involve language. This suggests that there are forms of understanding and interpretation that go beyond the linguistic focus of hermeneutics. While hermeneutics might argue that all experience is interpretive, it is not clear how this framework accounts for non-linguistic forms of awareness and perception. This is an area where hermeneutics may need to be expanded or supplemented by other theories to fully address the richness of human and non-human experience.
Hermeneutics and the Philosophy of Language: The Power of Words
Hermeneutics is closely connected to the philosophy of language, emphasizing that language is not just a tool for communication but the very medium through which we understand the world. This idea is closely related to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which suggests that the structure of a language influences how its speakers think and perceive reality. According to this view, language shapes our thoughts, and different languages create different ways of understanding the world (Whorf, 1956).
However, hermeneutics goes beyond this by arguing that language is central to all interpretation. Gadamer, for example, argued that our understanding is always mediated by language and that we cannot step outside of language to access a pure, unmediated reality. Instead, we must engage with language as the medium through which we interpret the world. This means that understanding a text, a conversation, or even a cultural practice involves interpreting the language through which it is expressed (Gadamer, 1975).
This perspective aligns with the work of S.I. Hayakawa, who emphasized the importance of language in shaping thought and communication. Hayakawa argued that language influences how we perceive and interact with the world and that greater awareness of language can lead to clearer thinking and better communication (Hayakawa, 1990). Both hermeneutics and the philosophy of language suggest that language is not just a neutral conduit for conveying meaning but a powerful force that shapes our understanding of reality.
Hermeneutics and Cognitive Science: Interpreting the Mind
Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of the mind and its processes, including perception, memory, reasoning, and emotion. Hermeneutics intersects with cognitive science in its focus on interpretation as a fundamental aspect of human understanding. While cognitive science often seeks to explain the mechanisms of cognition—how the brain processes information—hermeneutics emphasizes the interpretive processes that underlie these cognitive functions (Varela, Thompson, & Rosch, 1991).
One area where hermeneutics and cognitive science converge is in the study of embodied cognition, which suggests that our understanding is shaped by our bodily experiences and interactions with the world. This idea resonates with the hermeneutic emphasis on the situatedness of understanding—that our interpretations are always grounded in our lived experience. For example, how we perceive and interpret a situation is influenced by our physical state, our emotions, and our past experiences (Gallagher, 2012).
However, while hermeneutics provides valuable insights into the interpretive nature of understanding, it may not fully address the cognitive mechanisms that underlie interpretation. Cognitive science, with its focus on the brain and its functions, can complement hermeneutics by explaining how interpretation works at a cognitive level. Together, these fields can provide a more comprehensive understanding of how we make sense of the world.
Hermeneutics and Linguistics: The Role of Context
Hermeneutics also has important connections to linguistics, particularly in the study of discourse analysis, which examines how language is used in context. Both hermeneutics and discourse analysis emphasize that meaning is not fixed but is shaped by the context in which language is used. For example, the meaning of a word or phrase can change depending on the situation, the speaker, and the cultural background of the audience (Fairclough, 1995).
This aligns with the hermeneutic idea that understanding is always influenced by context. Just as a historical text must be interpreted in light of its historical and cultural background, everyday language must be interpreted in light of the social and cultural context in which it is spoken. This perspective challenges the idea that language has a fixed, objective meaning and instead suggests that meaning is always constructed through interpretation.
Objectivity and Subjectivity: What Does Hermeneutics Say?
One of the most profound questions in both philosophy and everyday life is the distinction between objectivity and subjectivity. Objectivity is often understood as the idea that there is a reality that exists independently of our thoughts and perceptions, while subjectivity refers to how our individual experiences, thoughts, and feelings shape our understanding of the world.
Hermeneutics offers a unique perspective on this issue. According to hermeneutic theory, all understanding is interpretive and context-dependent. This means that what we consider to be "objective" knowledge is always filtered through our subjective experiences, historical context, and cultural background. In this sense, hermeneutics challenges the notion of pure objectivity by highlighting the role that interpretation plays in all forms of understanding (Gadamer, 1975).
However, hermeneutics does not simply collapse into radical relativism, where all interpretations are equally valid. Instead, it suggests that while our understanding is shaped by our context, we can still strive for more comprehensive and nuanced interpretations by engaging with other perspectives. This process of dialogue and interpretation allows us to approach a more refined understanding, even if absolute objectivity remains elusive.
In conclusion, while hermeneutics provides a powerful framework for understanding interpretation, it raises important questions about the nature of objectivity and subjectivity. By acknowledging the interpretive nature of all knowledge, hermeneutics challenges us to reconsider what we mean by "objective" truth and to recognize the complexity of understanding in a world where context and perspective play such a significant role.
References
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Churchland, P. M. (1981). Eliminative materialism and the propositional attitudes. Journal of Philosophy, 78(2), 67–90.
Dreyfus, H. L. (1991). Being-in-the-world: A commentary on Heidegger's Being and Time, Division I. MIT Press.
Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Longman.
Gallagher, S. (2012). Phenomenology. Palgrave Macmillan.
Gadamer, H. G. (1975). Truth and method. Continuum.
Hayakawa, S. I. (1990). Language in thought and action. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and time (J. Macquarrie & E. Robinson, Trans.). Harper & Row.
Hume, D. (1739). A treatise of human nature. John Noon.
International Institute for Hermeneutics. (2023). About hermeneutics. https://www.iihermeneutics.org/about-hermeneutics.
Locke, J. (1689). An essay concerning human understanding. Thomas Bassett.
Polanyi, M. (1958). Personal knowledge: Towards a post-critical philosophy. University of Chicago Press.
Russell, B. (1912). The problems of philosophy. Williams and Norgate.
Varela, F. J., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1991). The embodied mind: Cognitive science and human experience. MIT Press.
Whorf, B. L. (1956). Language, thought, and reality: Selected writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. MIT Press.
In the context of this essay, "caveat lector" means "let the reader beware." This serves as a cautionary note to the reader, indicating that while the essay has been shaped and guided by prompts provided by the author, the content itself has been generated by ChatGPT, an AI language model. The ideas and interpretations presented are the product of the AI’s processing of considerable amounts of data and will include elements of randomness and bias inherent in such a system. Readers should approach the content with a critical mindset, aware that the AI-generated material may not fully capture the complexities or nuances of the topic. It’s important to independently verify and consider the information presented, especially when dealing with complex philosophical subjects like hermeneutics.