As i engage a text, a fusion of horizons can occur in which the. This fusion of horizons does not mean the interpreter now fully understands some kind of objective meaning, but is an event in which a world opens itself to him. Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy, hansgeorge gadamer, sect. He explains that the fusion of horizons is made possible by the fact that the interpreter accepts the claim to truth of a text. One of these, the fusion of horizons, is well recognised within dialogue. Hansgeorg gadamer is often criticized for his account of the fusion of horizons as the ideal resolution of dialogue. Unlike the tabula rasa of the cartesian spectator or kants transcendental concepts for example, what shaped ones understanding of a text is ones horizon which is the range of vision that includes everything that can be seen from a particular vantage point. Hansgeorg gadamer stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Spirit and truth gadamer s fusion of horizons and contemporary spirituality studies. Gadamer, hansgeorg internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Gadamer s philosophical hermeneutics locates the conditions of authority in tradition, constituted in part by prejudice, while habermas offers a theory of communicative action that transcends the limited horizons of tradition.
For gadamer, an horizon constitutes ones worldview. Gadamerhabermas debate and universality of hermeneutics. Indeed, the present cannot be formed without the past. Hermeneutic of pesantren with the fusion of horizons.
Gadamer, play, and interreligious dialogue as the opening. Rather, to use gadamer s terminology, the horizon i bring to the text or other is fluid and mutable. Gadamer explains that a horizon is not just the line between the sky and the earth. Thus he speaks not only of a language of art, but also a language of nature, in short of any language that things have. A process of the fusion of horizons in the text interpretation. Yet this horizon is subject to expansion and revision, as well as contact with other horizons. Gadamer calls these various conditionings, prejudices prejudgmentsi am not trapped by the historically formed grid through which i see and navigate the world. Objectivism the objectification of the other is premised on the forgetting of oneself and absolute knowledge. By interpreting the horizon of others we broaden our own horizon i. Basically, it sees gadamer revitalise nonscientific. Fusion of horizons the hermeneutic circle it is the naming phenomena within language that places restrictions on language which gadamer 2004a endeavours to illuminate, arguing interpretations derived from such understandings always involve a fusion of horizons. Fusion of horizonsanalysis of fortress besieged from. Those who are frequent visitors of my flickr account might wonder why is it called fusion of horizons. Gadamer, play, and interreligious dialogue as the opening of.
In this process of fusing horizons, understanding occurs between minds, and one grows in ones awareness and pursuit of truth. In this book, gadamer established the field of philosophical hermeneutics. Gadamer deals with such issues in his masterwork truth and method, offering resources through his understanding of the nature of texts and what he calls the fusion of horizons. I argue that in fact it is an excellent account of the successful resolution of dialogue, but only in light of a proper. In gadamer s words end of first paragraph on top p. Pdf hansgeorg gadamer was one of the foremost philosophers of the 20th century. Hermeneutics, the art of interpretation, originated in biblical and legal fields and was later extended to all texts.
As for the concept of horizon, it refers to the readers scope in understanding. In translation process the translator himself is reader in the first place. In this fusion or merger of horizons, it is also the work of the past that acquires a. I argue that in fact it is an excellent account of the successful resolution of dialogue, but only in light of a proper understanding of what gadamer means by horizon and how. On the contrary, it is always historically limited. Introduction gadamer argues that dialogue is fundamental to understanding and to our way of beingintheworld heidegger 1962. The concepts of prejudice, vantage point, horizon, and fusion of horizons are used in the discussion. Past and present cannot exist without each other and understanding is always the fusion of these horizons supposedly existing by themselves. His importance lies in his development of hermeneutic philosophy. This is a simple visual representation of the concept called the fusion of horizons made popular by hans georg gadamer in his book truth. Since a humans embeddedness and finitude demand selftransformation, the hermeneutical problem is not only.
The explanation of the above mentioned notions intends to legitimize gadamer s central thesis that our understanding is never mere subjectoriented behaviour. Bhabha, whose work on cultural hybridity offers a striking parallel with gadamer. Based upon the fusion of horizons of the hermeneutics proposed by hansgeorg gadamer, a leading german continental philosopher of the twentieth century, this article aims to analyze english version of wei cheng written by qian zhongshu and then cooperatively translated by jeanne kelly and nathan k. An introduction to the hermeneutics of hansgeorg gadamer with a special focus on the fusion of horizons. It is a dialectical concept that results from the rejection of two alternatives. What gadamer wants to draw out is the temporality of art. The understanding of a text implies what gadamer calls a fusion of the two horizons. Thinking of journalism as, at its best, a public fusing of horizons of understanding might enrich some of our normative theories. From the familiar to the foreign all interpretations are derived from a. Gadamers fusion of horizons and intercultural interpretation. Expansion of our horizon occurs with a new experience as our thoughts are broadened by that.
Study on the application of fusion of horizons in english. Fusion of horizons theory is gadamer s key point in language learning and teaching. Hansgeorg gadamer 19002002 hansgeorg gadamer was a leading continental philosopher of the twentieth century. This article examines hansgeorg gadamer s seminal work truth and method and the central notion of the fusion of horizons as it relates to several central concerns within the contemporary study of christian spirituality. It encompasses all of the ideas, values, perceptions, and biases an individual has. Georg gadamer is often criticized for his account of the fusions of horizons as the ideal resolution of dialogue. The readers are brazilian students at the university level reading a text by the american author, amy tan. Gadamer labeled the framework or range of meaning set by history a horizon, and stated that understanding or interpretation involves a fusion of horizons. Though starting from the philosophical angle, gadamer s hermeneutic notions shed light in the field of translation. This work recommends further research of gadamer s theory of understanding and its application to african philosophy. Recognizing gadamer s notion of understanding as play will allow us to see more clearly the way in which understanding always remains a dynamic process in which difference is the lifeblood. Hansgeorg gadamer, interreligious dialogue, hermeneutics, ludwig wittgenstein.
Pdf gadamers fusion of horizons and intercultural interpretation. When two people listen to one another deeply, they create a fusion of horizons. It will also allow us to retrieve the context in which we can better grasp the meaning of the fusion of horizons. Horizon of interpretation changes continuously just as our visual horizon also varies with every step that we take gadamer p61 for example, when we are reading a book, every time something different comes into our mind. It is an homage to my favorite philosopher, hans georg gadamer to whom fusion of horizons was another name for how understanding, interpretation, knowledge, meaning and truth actually work. A fusion of horizons occurs when our own horizon is understood in order to understand anothers. Pdf gadamer and the fusion of horizons david vessey.
Bainselbo 2002, in which the horizons of the interpreter and the interpreted are fused for a moment. Gadamer s basic understanding of understanding paru dans r. A horizon is everything that can be seen from an individuals standpoint. Gadamer s goal was to uncover the nature of human understanding. Heidegger, bultmann, gadamer, wittgenstein, and the new. Hermeneutic of pesantren with the fusion of horizons gadamer s theory islamic boarding schools pesantren are an islamic educational institution that has been established for a long time before indonesias independence, the existence of pesantren has been tested despite the conditions that are often not impartial. The old and the new horizon combining into something of living value. Fusion of horizons theory is gadamers key point in language learning and. Truth and method is a landmark work of 20th century thought which established hans georg gadamer as one of the most important philosophical voices of the 20th century. This leads him to view understanding as a fusion of horizons between the. Hansgeorg gadamer is the decisive figure in the development of twentieth century hermeneuticsalmost certainly eclipsing, in terms of influence and reputation, the other leading figures, including paul ricoeur, and also gianni vattimo vattimo was himself one of gadamers students. To make sense of such statements, a brief account of gadamer s theory of interpretation is needed. Once that shared horizon is established, though, the attitude and practice of openness, including competing and even conflicting ideas, forges the practice of critical inquiry. While it is doubtless a product of a particular historical era and a particular artists life.
319 1010 1279 1065 321 1468 1530 1475 608 1512 809 795 982 739 138 10 658 864 824 252 953 552 406 1001 1012 1135 353 1156 696 963 237 469 225 748 310 680 133 751 537 973