Vol. 4, Issue 1, Part A (2022)

The fundamental premise of Hans-Georg Gadamer's 1960 book Reality and Method is that truth cannot be completely defined by scientific method, and that actual meaning of language transcends methodological interpretation. The term 'hermeneutics' has traditionally been used to refer to a group of questions centered on the interpretation of writings, particularly religious and legal texts. The issues of "reconstructing" past ages, epochs, and periods, as well as obtaining "objective" historical knowledge, became part of the overall hermeneutical dilemma with the advent of methodical historical scholarship in the nineteenth century. Gadamer claims that hermeneutics (the science of interpretation) is more than just a means for identifying truth; it is also an activity aimed at comprehending the conditions that allow truth to exist. According to Gadamer, the role of hermeneutics in the human sciences is not the same as the role of methods of research in the natural sciences. Hermeneutics is not merely a method of interpretation, but is an investigation of the nature of understanding, which transcends the concept of method. Truth is not something which may be defined by a particular technique or procedure of inquiry, but is something which may transcend the limits of methodological reasoning. The truth of spoken or written language may be revealed when we discover the conditions for understanding its meaning. The term 'hermeneutics' has traditionally referred to a group of problems centered on the interpretation of writings, particularly religious and legal texts. The issues of "reconstructing" past ages, epochs, and periods, as well as obtaining "objective" historical knowledge, became part of the overall hermeneutical dilemma with the advent of methodical historical scholarship in the nineteenth century. The purpose of this brief review is to emphasize the concept of Gadamer's work in terms of truth and techniques.