What I Need to Know

LESSON 5: HERMENUETICAL PHENOMENOLOGY

Content Standard
The learners demonstrate an understanding of…
The emergence of the Social Sciences and the different disciplines
Key concepts and approaches in the Social Sciences
Performance Standard
The learners shall be able to…
- connect the disciplines with their historical and social foundations
- interpret personal and social experiences using relevant approaches
in the Social Sciences
- evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the approach
Most Essential Learning Competencies
Analyze the basic concepts and principles of the major social science ideas:
Institutionalism MELCS-Pages 609-610 DISS (Week 8-10)
Learning Objectives
At the end of the module you should be able to:
1. Define Hermeneutical Phenomenology;
2. Identify the key concepts and principles of Hermeneutical
Phenomenology; and
3. Express the importance of Hermeneutical Phenomenology

What I Know
Identification: Directions: Read the questions carefully, and choose your
answer from the word pool below

1. It is the study of ―phenomena ―: appearances of things, or things as

they appear in our experience, or the ways in which we experience things,
thus the meanings that things have in our experience.
2. This is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the 2. Interpretative Phenomenology is an approach to psychological
interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. qualitative research with an idiographic focus, which means that it aims to offer
insights into how a given person, in a given context, makes sense of a given
3. It is a philosophy of and a method for interpreting human experiences phenomenon.
as a means to understand the question of what it is to be human. Types of Phenomenology
1. Transcendental Constitutive Phenomenology studies how objects are
4. This seeks to establish exegetical principles by which ethical lessons may
constituted in transcendental consciousness, setting aside questions of any
be drawn from the various parts of the Bible.
relation to the natural world.
5. He is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, 2. Naturalistic Constitutive Phenomenology (see naturalism) studies how
and existentialism. consciousness constitutes things in the world of nature, assuming with the
natural attitude that consciousness is part of nature.
6. Is an approach to psychological qualitative research with an idiographic 3. Generative Historicist Phenomenology studies how meaning—as found in our
focus, which means that it aims to offer insights into how a given person, experience—is generated in historical processes of collective experience over
in a given context, makes sense of a given phenomenon. time.
4. Genetic Phenomenology studies the emergence/genesis of meanings of things
7. It is widely used in social science research as a method to explore and within one's own stream of experience.
describe the lived experience of individuals. 5. Hermeneutical Phenomenology studies interpretive structures of experience.
This approach was introduced in Martin Heidegger's early work.
8. This refers to the interpretation which asserts that a biblical text is to be
interpreted according to the ―plain meaning ― conveyed by its
Hermeneutical phenomenology is a philosophy of and a method for interpreting
grammatical construction and historical context. human experiences as a means to understand the question of what it is to be
9. This is a third type of hermeneutics that interprets the biblical narratives human. This philosophy was developed by Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) as a
as having a second level of reference beyond those persons, things, and continuation and divergence from phenomenology, the philosophy developed by
events explicitly mentioned in the text. his mentor and colleague, Edmund Husserl. Hermeneutical phenomenology is
sometimes referred to as interpretative phenomenology. While the
10.A type of Phenomenology that studies the emergence/genesis of phenomenology developed by Husserl is sometimes referred to as descriptive
meanings of things within one's own stream of experience. phenomenology or pure phenomenology. This is an inquiry on how the human
mind can grasp the true nature of things as experienced in the world.
What’s In
The phenomenology perspective tells us to remove our preconceived ideas in
- What are the differences between gender ideology and gender
order to arrive at a pure description of our experiences. On the other hand, it
inequality? similarly seeks the truth in things as experienced in the world. However, it
- How will you promote gender equality in our society? attempts to see the truth in things as a means to understand what it is to be
Two main approaches to Phenomenology: human. Humans are born in a particular historical period, country, community
1. Descriptive Phenomenology is widely used in social science research as and background.
a method to explore and describe the lived experience of individuals. It is a
philosophy and a scientific method and has undertaken many variations as it has.
What is It

Hermeneutics is the theory and methodology of interpretation,

especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and
philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretive principles or
methods used when immediate comprehension fails and includes the art of
understanding and communication.

This is also the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation,

especially of the Bible or literary texts. The primary need of Hermeneutics
is to determine and understand the meaning of Biblical text. The purpose
of Hermeneutics is to bridge the gap between our minds and the minds of
the Biblical writers through a thorough knowledge of the original
languages, ancient history and the comparison of Scripture with Scripture.

In the history of biblical interpretation, four major types of

hermeneutics have emerged: the literal, moral, allegorical, and anagogical.
Literal interpretation asserts that a biblical text is to be interpreted
according to the ―plain meaning‖ conveyed by its grammatical
construction and historical context.

1. Hermeneutics Literal interpretation asserts that a biblical text

is to be interpreted according to the ―plain meaning‖ conveyed by its
grammatical construction and historical context. The literal meaning is held
to correspond to the intention of the authors.
2. Hermeneutics Moral which seeks to establish exegetical experience, or the ways we experience things, thus the meanings things
principles by which ethical lessons may be drawn from the various parts of have in our experience.
the Bible.
Phenomenology studies conscious experience as experienced from
3. Allegorical Hermeneutics a third type of hermeneutics, the subjective or first person point of view. It is a broad discipline and
interprets the biblical narratives as having a second level of reference method of inquiry in philosophy, developed largely by the German
beyond those persons, things, and events explicitly mentioned in the text. philosophers Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, which is based on the
premise that reality consists of objects and events (―phenomena ―) as
4. Interpretation Hermeneutics. This mode of interpretation they are perceived or understood in the human consciousness.
seeks to explain biblical events as they relate to or prefigure the life to
Phenomenology, as a method has four characteristics, namely:
come. descriptive, reduction, essence and intentionality. to investigate as it
happens. Observations ensure that the form of the description are the
things themselves. We can use the historical perspective to clarify the
earlier statement that there are several types of phenomenology.
Phenomenology is concerned about reduction, a way of bracketing our
Friedrich Schleiermacher, also known as the father of modern theology, experience of being in the world so as to let us encounter the phenomena,
and recently the father of modern hermeneutics, took the theory of presence, and the being of life in the world itself.
interpretation onto a whole new level. He transformed the traditional
Biblical hermeneutics into a general hermeneutic which incorporated texts
of all kinds.
Hermeneutics is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially
the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical
texts. Indeed, it is the science and art of Biblical interpretation. It is a
science because it is guided by rules within a system; and it is an art
because the application of the rules is by skill, and not by mechanical
imitation.
Phenomenology (from Greek phainómenon ―that which appears ―
and lógos ―study ―) is the philosophical study of the structures of
experience and consciousness. As a philosophical movement it was
founded in the early years of the 20th century by Edmund Husserl and was
later expanded upon by a circle of his followers at the universities of
Göttingen and Munich in Germany.
The science of phenomena as distinct from that of the nature of
being. An approach that concentrates on the study of consciousness and
the objects of direct experience. Literally, phenomenology is the study of
―phenomena ―: appearances of things, or things as they appear in our