Much of your time spent on earth is spent trying to
understand your surroundings, what your purpose is, how people interact and
defining who you are as a person.
Unbeknownst to many there is in fact a method we use
when trying to understand these elements of our lives.
Hermeneutics, what is it, why is this word relevant and why
should you care about any of this?
In its simplest form hermeneutics is the
science of understanding or interpreting.
So to say we spend most of our time on earth trying to
understand or interpret, well then you are really practicing hermeneutics.
But hermeneutics is
broad, there are 5 types of hermeneutics
to understand.
- Natural
- Normative
- Scientific
- Philosophical
- Depth
Natural
hermeneutics is interpreting everyday life. For instance, you
meet someone for the first time, you will probably “naturally” read this
person intensely by their body language, how they talk, and how well they
present themselves over all to make an assumption. This is interpreting in your
everyday life and it is a normal function for human beings, thus the best
example for natural hermeneutics.
Normative
hermeneutics is deliberate and rule based. If you are
practicing normative hermeneutics you will most likely follow strict rules or
readings, and will wear a suit or maybe even robes depending on your career
choice. This is because you will typically find normative hermeneutics being
practiced by judges, lawyers, or priests. They are the prime example for those
who interpret text.
Scientific
hermeneutics, if you are in school, you have used it. The scientific method is the key to
understanding this type of hermeneutics, it is the foundation of most science
experiments and how data is discovered and interpreted.
Philosophical
hermeneutics is best explained in the classroom. It is a way
of thinking and interpreting building a foundation of information and
connecting with it somehow. When you read a text you interpret that text, it’s
a constant cycle of reading and interpreting, finding meaning in the words on a
page.
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Depth
hermeneutics is what I believe to be the most complex. There
are so many levels to this particular interpretation involving suspicion of
various levels such as ideology, the unconscious, language, and discourse. Many
of these levels flow into the other but it is all about assumption and
liberation.
So why does this matter to you? By understanding how one
interprets information, you will find it helps to pull as much information as possible as well
as providing an explanation for the conclusions we come to on a daily basis
whether intentional or not.
To discover more information on hermeneutics and its history check out: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/gadamer/
