Scribd
Upload
6 views

DISS WEEK 2

Hermeneutics is the theory of interpretation, particularly for biblical and philosophical texts, aiming to bridge the gap between modern readers and original writers through understanding historical and linguistic contexts. It encompasses various interpretative methods, including literal, moral, allegorical, and anagogical interpretations. Phenomenology, founded by Edmund Husserl, studies human experience and consciousness, focusing on how things appear to individuals, emphasizing descriptive approaches and the essence of experiences.

Uploaded by

paulajean.gogna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
6 views

DISS WEEK 2

Hermeneutics is the theory of interpretation, particularly for biblical and philosophical texts, aiming to bridge the gap between modern readers and original writers through understanding historical and linguistic contexts. It encompasses various interpretative methods, including literal, moral, allegorical, and anagogical interpretations. Phenomenology, founded by Edmund Husserl, studies human experience and consciousness, focusing on how things appear to individuals, emphasizing descriptive approaches and the essence of experiences.

Uploaded by

paulajean.gogna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is the theory and methodology of interpretation, particularly


applied to biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical writings. It
goes beyond just interpretive methods—it involves the art of understanding and
communication when immediate comprehension is difficult. This discipline aims to
uncover the meaning of texts by considering historical, linguistic, and theological
contexts.
The primary goal of hermeneutics is to bridge the gap between the modern
reader and the original biblical writers. This is achieved through a deep
understanding of the original languages, historical background, and
intertextual comparison of scripture.
Throughout history, four major types of biblical hermeneutics have emerged:
1. Literal Interpretation – This method interprets biblical texts according to
their plain meaning, considering grammatical construction and
historical context. It assumes that the author's intended meaning is
directly conveyed through the text itself.
2. Moral Interpretation – This approach seeks to derive ethical teachings
from biblical texts. It focuses on how scripture guides human behavior and
morality.
3. Allegorical Interpretation – This method suggests that biblical narratives
contain deeper, symbolic meanings beyond what is explicitly stated. It
often views texts as metaphors or representations of spiritual truths.
4. Anagogical Interpretation – This interpretation relates biblical events to
future realities, particularly the afterlife. It seeks to understand
scripture in light of eternal destiny and eschatology.
One of the most influential figures in hermeneutics is Friedrich Schleiermacher,
who is considered the father of modern hermeneutics. He expanded biblical
hermeneutics into a general theory of interpretation that applies to all types of
texts, not just religious ones.
Hermeneutics is described as both a science and an art. It is a science because it
follows structured rules and principles, and it is an art because interpreting texts
requires skill and discernment rather than mere mechanical application.

Phenomenology
Phenomenology, derived from the Greek words phainómenon ("that which appears")
and lógos ("study"), is the philosophical study of the structures of experience
and consciousness. It was founded in the early 20th century by Edmund Husserl
and later expanded by other philosophers.
Phenomenology focuses on how things appear in human experience, rather
than what they are in themselves. It studies the ways people experience
reality and the meaning objects have in their consciousness. It is a first-
person perspective approach to philosophy that investigates reality as it is
perceived by human beings.

Key Characteristics of Phenomenology:


1. Descriptive
This means that phenomenology focuses on describing experiences exactly as they
happen in a person’s consciousness, without trying to analyze, judge, or explain
them using theories. The goal is to capture the pure experience itself—what it feels
like, what it looks like, and how it is lived.
🔹 Example: Imagine you are drinking a cup of coffee. A descriptive approach would
focus on your direct experience—how the warmth of the cup feels in your hands, the
aroma rising from the coffee, the taste on your tongue, and how it makes you feel. It
does not assume or explain why coffee smells a certain way or discuss caffeine’s
effects on the brain. It simply describes the lived experience of drinking coffee.

2. Reduction (Bracketing)
Reduction, or epoché, is the process of setting aside preconceived ideas, biases,
and assumptions to focus on the pure essence of an experience. In phenomenology,
this is called "bracketing", which means temporarily suspending your usual beliefs
about something so that you can see it in a fresh, unbiased way.
🔹 Example: If you are studying the experience of pain, you must bracket out any
medical knowledge you have about pain (such as nerve signals or brain processes).
Instead, you focus only on how pain is actually felt—the throbbing, burning, or
aching sensation and the emotions that come with it. This allows you to capture the
pure experience of pain, rather than interpreting it scientifically.
3. Essence
The essence of an experience is its core meaning—the deep, fundamental aspects
that remain the same for everyone, despite individual differences.
Phenomenologists seek to discover what makes an experience what it is, regardless
of personal opinions or cultural variations.
🔹 Example: If you study the experience of grief, you will find that different people
grieve in different ways—some cry, some stay silent, some withdraw from others.
But the essence of grief (the deep sense of loss, sorrow, and longing) is present in
all experiences of grief, no matter the person or culture. Phenomenology tries to
uncover this shared core meaning of experiences.
4. Intentionality
This concept means that consciousness is always directed toward something—we
are never just conscious, but always conscious of something. Our thoughts, feelings,
and perceptions are always about something, whether it’s an object, an idea, or an
experience.

🔹 Example: If you are thinking about your favorite song, your consciousness is
directed toward that song. If you are feeling happy, your happiness is about
something—perhaps a recent success, a loved one, or a fond memory.
Phenomenology emphasizes that every act of consciousness is connected to
something outside itself; we do not experience things in isolation.

Philosophers Associated with Hermeneutics and Phenomenology


1. Martin Heidegger – A German philosopher who contributed to
phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His most famous
work, Being and Time (1927), explores the meaning of being by analyzing
human existence (Dasein), which he describes as "being-in-the-world" (In-
der-Welt-sein). He differs from René Descartes, who emphasized the
thinking self, by asserting that human existence is fundamentally rooted
in the world and shaped by lived experience.
2. Paul Nicolai Hartmann – A Baltic German philosopher and a key
representative of critical realism. He developed an ontological theory
that describes four levels of reality:
o Inorganic Level – Non-living, physical matter.

o Organic Level – The biological world.

o Psychical/Emotional Level – The realm of emotions and


consciousness.
o Intellectual/Cultural Level – The domain of thought, culture, and
ethics.
Hartmann’s ethics focus on values, which he describes as
unchanging, super-temporal, and fundamental to morality. He
argues that moral knowledge is not based purely on reasoning but
on emotional experiences of values.
3. Gabriel Marcel – A French Christian existentialist, playwright, and
philosopher. His works explore the struggle of the modern individual in a
technologically dehumanized society. Unlike Jean-Paul Sartre, Marcel
rejected atheistic existentialism and instead promoted a philosophy of
communion and human interconnectedness. He argued that human
beings should strive for authentic relationships and spiritual fulfillment
rather than isolation.
Two Main Approaches in Phenomenology
1. Descriptive Phenomenology – Developed by Husserl, this approach
focuses on describing lived experiences as they appear, without
interpretation. It is widely used in social science research to explore
personal experiences.
2. Interpretative Phenomenology – This method seeks to understand how
individuals make sense of their experiences. It is often used in
psychology and qualitative research.

Types of Phenomenology
1. Transcendental Constitutive Phenomenology – Focuses on how objects
are formed in consciousness, setting aside their relation to the natural
world.
2. Naturalistic Constitutive Phenomenology – Examines how consciousness
constructs meaning within the natural world, assuming that
consciousness is part of nature.
3. Generative Historicist Phenomenology – Studies how collective
experiences generate meaning over time.
4. Genetic Phenomenology – Investigates how personal experiences
develop and shape meaning within an individual’s consciousness.
5. Hermeneutical Phenomenology – Focuses on the interpretation of lived
experiences, developed by Heidegger. This approach acknowledges that
historical and cultural contexts shape human understanding.

Conclusion
Both hermeneutics and phenomenology aim to uncover deeper meanings—
hermeneutics through the interpretation of texts and phenomenology through
the exploration of human experience. While hermeneutics is often applied to
biblical and philosophical writings, phenomenology seeks to understand
consciousness and reality as perceived by individuals. Philosophers like
Heidegger, Hartmann, and Marcel have contributed significantly to these
disciplines, shaping modern thought on interpretation, meaning, and
existence.

You might also like