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Summary on hermenuetical circle

Topic: Hermenuetical circle
by Alex, 2018 Cohort

Note: This entry was created in 2018, when the task was to “summarise a key reading”, and so may not represent a good example to model current primer entries on.

Hermeneutics#

The hermeneutic circle explores the relationship between the parts and the whole as they concern interpretation.

Hermeneutics is the philosophy of interpretation. It is the study of methods for extracting meaning from texts. In this philosophy, we ask questions in order to aid interpretation such as:

Who (is the author)?
What (is the subject matter)?
Why (was it written)?
How (was it composed)?
When (was it composed?
Where (was it produced)?
By which means (was it produced)?

In order to inform some purpose and context into the big picture understanding of a text and provide context to each part. Yet, the meaning itself must be generated from each part of the story. Which must be explained from the whole…

(From SEP: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hermeneutics/)

A problem seems to arise. What can solely claim the authority of a correct interpretation of a text? Would it be more from the parts, or the whole? The construction, or the context?

To explore these question, let’s look at an example…

Example#

Imagine reading a short summary explaining a topic of which you were previously unaware. Each sentence would contribute towards some new found understanding. Yet, each sentence would only make sense in relation to its context in the wider piece. Your understanding of the purpose and context of the writing would inform how you read each sentence. As you begin to read more of the summary, your understanding of the point and purpose of the writing becomes clearer, which informs how you begin to read each part of the summary. Neither the part nor the whole have sufficient claim to the explanation of a text. The authority of the interpretation is given to the interplay between the analysis of the parts and the whole. The construction of a whole relies on each part. Each part can only properly be understood in its relation to the whole.

What is important in a text is revealed both by the parts that construct the whole, and by the whole that explains the parts. The result of this cyclical understanding is that interpretation occurs in a circular motion. This circular motion can be understood as the hermeneutic circle. While in this circle, neither the whole, nor the parts, can lay full claim to the authority of our interpretations of a text, artwork, or problem.

It might turn out that no issue can avoid this cycle of reliance between the parts and whole of an explanation of an idea.

Complexity#

Stegmller claims that no discipline is immune from a circular path of interpretation as it applies to methodologies in general. The hermeneutic circle applies to formulating the very questions we want to ask. It doesn’t occur in testing a hypothesis, but in formulating the hypothesis itself. The authoritative tension between parts and whole now can be seen in the circular “differentiation between facts and background knowledge”. When asking questions, it is difficult to claim what comes from previously ascertained facts, and what comes from previous assumptions, and preconceptions.

When looking at complex issues, and generating our hypotheses, think about how the hermeneutic cycle questions the authority we assume any particular fact, sentence, contextual information, or preconceptions have in interpreting an issue.

Disclaimer#

This content has been contributed by a student as part of a learning activity.
If there are inaccuracies, or opportunities for significant improvement on this topic, feedback is welcome on how to improve the resource.
You can improve articles on this topic as a student in "Unravelling Complexity", or by including the amendments in an email to: Chris.Browne@anu.edu.au