The Blackwell Companion to Hermeneutics

Notes on Contributors x

Introduction 1
Niall Keane and Chris Lawn

Part I Hermeneutics and the History of Philosophy 9

1 The History of Hermeneutics 11
Eileen Brennan

2 Hermeneutics and the Ancient Philosophical Legacy: Herm¨¥neia and Phron¨¥sis 22
Jussi Backman

3 Medieval Hermeneutics 34
David Vessey

4 Hermeneutics and Modern Philosophy: The Art of Understanding 45
Andrew Bowie

5 Gadamer and German Idealism 54
Theodore George

Part II Themes and Topics 63

6 Hermeneutics and Ethical Life: On the Return to Factical Life 65
Dennis J. Schmidt

7 Hermeneutics and Politics 72
Bruce Krajewski

8 Religion 77
Felix Ó Murchadha

9 Method 86
Inga Römer

10 Truth 96
Kristin Gjesdal

11 Historicity and Temporality 105
Brian Rogers

12 Memory 114
Hans Ruin

13 Language and Alterity 122
James Risser

14 Identity, History, Tradition 130
Charles Guignon

15 Recognition and Freedom 144
David Espinet and Matthias Flatscher

16 Aesthetics and Perception 155
Günter Figal

17 Hermeneutics and Ontology 162
István M. Fehér

18 Narrative 172
Robert Piercey

19 Rationality, Knowledge, and Relativism 180
Paul Fairfield

20 Finitude 188
Thomas Schwarz Wentzer

21 Authority 197
Robert J. Dostal

22 Subjectivity and Hermeneutics 205
John Russon

23 Biblical Hermeneutics 212
Jens Zimmermann

Part III Key Concepts 227

24 Understanding 229
Donatella Di Cesare

25 Interpretation, Judgment, and Critique 236
Rudolf A. Makkreel

26 Word, Image, and Concept 242
Nicholas Davey

27 Horizonality 248
Thomas J. Nenon

28 Application and Praxis 253
Lawrence K. Schmidt

29 Dialectic 259
Thomas Schwarz Wentzer

30 Play 265
Tony O' Connor

31 Sense and Meaning: From Aristotle to Heidegger 270
Thomas Sheehan

32 Prejudice and Pre(c)\Understanding 280
István M. Fehér

33 On the Manifold Senses of Mimesis: From Plato to Gadamer and Beyond 289
John Sallis

34 The Hermeneutical Circle 299
Jean Grondin

35 Metaphor and Symbol 306
Karl Simms

36 Dialogue, Goodwill, and Community 312
David Vessey

37 Textuality 320
Karl Simms

38 Lived Experience: Erlebnis and Erfahrung 326
Nicholas Davey

Part IV Major Figures 333

39 Martin Luther 335
Jens Zimmermann

40 August Boeckh 342
Robert J. Dostal

41 Immanuel Kant 348
Rudolf A. Makkreel

42 G. W. F. Hegel 354
John Russon

43 F. D. E. Schleiermacher 360
Jens Zimmermann

44 Friedrich Nietzsche 366
Babette E. Babich

45 Wilhelm Dilthey 378
Rudolf A. Makkreel

46 Edmund Husserl 383
Pol Vandevelde

47 Martin Heidegger 389
Cristina Lafont

48 Hans(c)\Georg Gadamer 397
Jean Grondin

49 Mircea Eliade: Structural Hermeneutics and Philosophy 404
David M. Rasmussen

50 Paul Ricoeur 412
Robert Piercey

51 E. D. Hirsch 417
Robert J. Dostal

52 Michel Foucault 423
Tony O' Connor

53 Gianni Vattimo 429
Nicholas Davey

54 Karl(c)\Otto Apel 435
Pol Vandevelde

55 Jurgen Habermas 440
Cristina Lafont

56 Richard Rorty 446
Robert Piercey

57 Gunter Figal 451
Morten Sørensen Thaning

Part V Philosophical Intersections and Encounters 459

58 Hermeneutics and Phenomenology 461
Eileen Brennan

59 Hermeneutics and Deconstruction 471
Donatella Di Cesare

60 Hermeneutics, Politics, and Philosophy 481
Roberto Alejandro

61 Hermeneutic Philosophy of Science: Interpreting Nature, Reading Laboratory Science 492
Babette E. Babich

62 Hermeneutics and Pragmatism 505
David Vessey

63 Hermeneutics and Education 513
Paul Fairfield

64 Hermeneutics and Critical Theory 520
Margherita Tonon

65 Hermeneutics and Theology 530
John Panteleimon Manoussakis

66 Hermeneutics and Rhetoric 539
Bruce Krajewski

67 Hermeneutics: Literature and Being 548
Rod Coltman

68 Hermeneutics and Feminist Philosophy 557
Sara Heinämaa

69 Hermeneutics and the Analytic-Continental Divide 573
Sara Heinämaa

70 Hermeneutics and Humanism 585
István M. Fehér

71 Hermeneutics and Law 595
Francis J. Mootz III

Index 604

"Wiley Blackwell's A Companion to Hermeneutics is destined to become an invaluable resource for its incisive discussions of all aspects of hermeneutics within the field of philosophy."

Burt Hopkins, Seattle University

"This is an extraordinarily rich collection of articles on every aspect of hermeneutics. It covers not just the history of hermeneutics from the ancient Greeks to the present, but also topics ranging from aesthetics and politics to pragmatism and deconstruction as analysed by key thinkers such as Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger, Gadamer, Vattimo and Apel. This Companion is an essential guide to the hermeneutic tradition."

Dermot Moran, University College Dublin

"Hermeneutics-- the philosophical theory of interpretation--has been one of the most influential strands of European thought over the last two hundred years or more. This comprehensive volume of essays, with contributions by many leading experts in the field, constitutes an ideal point of entry into the hermeneutic tradition. Its range and level of detail will also appeal to those who wish to advance their knowledge of hermeneutic philosophy and its many important consequences."

Peter Dews, University of Essex

Niall Keane is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Head of Department, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland.

Chris Lawn is Lecturer in Philosophy at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland.

N. Keane, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland; C. Lawn, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland