Relational Hermeneutics: Essays in Comparative Philosophy

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Investigating connections between philosophical hermeneutics and neighbouring traditions of thought, this volume considers the question of how post-Heideggerian hermeneutics, as represented by Gadamer, Ricoeur and recent scholars following in their wake, relate to these traditions, both in general terms and bearing upon specific questions. The traditions covered in this volumeexistentialism, pragmatism, poststructuralism, Eastern philosophy, and hermeneutics itselfare all characterized by significant internal diversity, adding to the difficulty in reaching an interpretation that is at once comparative and critical. None of these traditions represent a unified system of belief; all are umbrella terms which are at once useful and imprecise, and the differences internal to each must not to be understated. An innovative work of comparative philosophy, this volume avoids oversimplification and offers specific analyses that treat hermeneutics in relation to particular themes and key figures in each of these traditions of thought. Philosophical hermeneutics is explicitly dialogical, and it is in this spirit that the authors of this book approach their subjects, revealing the important affinities and opportunities for mutually enriching conversations which have until now been overlooked.

Reviews

To find "oneself as another" (Ricoeur) - surely a great motto for unfettered minds. By exploring the role of interpretive understanding in numerous fields, Relational Hermeneutics offers convincing proof of Gadamer's claim of the differential "universality" of hermeneutical inquiry. In a time ravaged by deception and fake news, the book strikes a blow for genuine understanding across borders, thus providing a sheet anchor against myopic positivism, ethnocentrism, and arid conceptualism. One can only wish the book a broad readership, in the West and the East. * Fred Dallmayr, Emeritus Packey J. Dee Professor, University of Notre Dame, USA *
To investigate what is involved in interpreting and understanding things literary works, sacred scripture, cryptic memos, recipes, other people, anything at allis the task of philosophical hermeneutics. The essays collected in this volume assume this task but redirect the inquiry in a novel manner. Each essay addresses one of four traditionsexistentialism, pragmatism, poststructuralism or Eastern philosophyand discusses particular themes as they have been treated by authors belonging to that tradition. The result of this relational hermeneutics is far more than just another volume of comparative philosophy. It is an unexpected new insight into how we understand ourselves. * Jeff Mitscherling, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Guelph, Canada *
Bringing hermeneutic philosophy into conversation with other Western and Eastern philosophical traditions, the contributors to Relational Hermeneutics track illuminating affinities and differences between hermeneutic figures such as Heidegger, Gadamer and Ricouer and existentialist, pragmatist, post-structuralist, Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian figures such as Dewey, De Beauvoir, Foucault, Irigaray and Zhuangzi. In so doing the contributors provide new insights into issues of time, the body, experience, understanding, poetry, ethics, power, emotion and the turning word. The result is a very welcome and important volume. * Georgia Warnke, Distinguished Professor, Political Science, University of California Riverside, USA *

Author Bio

Paul Fairfield is Professor of Philosophy at Queens University in Kingston, ON, Canada. He is the author of nine sole-authored books and editor or co-editor of five anthologies. His writings cover themes in philosophical hermeneutics, phenomenology, and pragmatism. Saulius Geniusas is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is the author or editor of several books and anthologies, including The Origins of the Horizon in Husserls Phenomenology (2012), Stretching the Limits of Productive Imagination (2018).