Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900–2002) is one of the most important philosophers of the post-1945 era. His name has become all but synonymous with the philosophical study of hermeneutics, the field concerned with theories of understanding and interpretation and laid out in his landmark book Truth and Method. Influential not only within continental philosophy, Gadamer’s thought has also made significant contributions to related fields such as religion, literary theory, and education.
The Gadamerian Mind is a major survey of the fundamental aspects of Gadamer’s thought, with contributions from leading scholars of Gadamer and hermeneutics from around the world. 38 chapters are divided into six clear parts:
- Overviews
- Key concepts
- Historical influences
- Contemporary encounters
- Beyond philosophy
- Legacies and questions.
Although Gadamer’s work addresses a remarkable range of topics, careful consideration is given throughout the volume to consistent concerns that orient his thought. Important in this respect is his relation to philosophers in the Western tradition, from Plato to Heidegger.
An indispensable resource for anyone studying and researching Gadamer, hermeneutics, and the history of twentieth-century philosophy, The Gadamerian Mind will also be of interest to those in related disciplines such as religion, literature, political theory, and education.
Introduction Theodore George and Gert-Jan van der Heiden
Part 1: Overviews
1. Gadamer’s Century: Life, Times, and Works Jens Zimmermann
2. The Universality of Hermeneutic Understanding: The Strong, Somewhat Metaphysical Conclusion of Truth and Method Jean Grondin
3. Gadamer, Humanism, and the Humanities Dennis J. Schmidt
4. The Poetic Word, Art, and the Arts James Risser
5. Dialogue, Dialectic and Conversation Nicholas Davey
6. Gadamer on Solidarity Georgia Warnke
Part 2: Key Concepts
7. Truth Gaetano Chiurazzi
8. Experience Lawrence K. Schmidt
9. Gadamer on Tradition David Vessey
10. Gadamer’s Concept of Language Carolyn Culbertson
11. Gadamer on Play and the Play of Art Cynthia R. Nielsen
12. Gadamer on the Politics of Translation Theodore George
13. Image (Picture) Günter Figal
14. Gadamer and Health Kevin Aho
Part 3: Historical Influences
15. Gadamer and Plato: An Unending Dialogue Francisco J. Gonzalez
16. The Role of Aristotle in Gadamer’s Work Carlo DaVia
17. Gadamer’s Kant Robert J. Dostal
18. Hegel’s Truth and Gadamer’s Method Daniel O. Dahlstrom
19. Gadamer, Dilthey, and the Aporias of Historical Enlightenment Eric S. Nelson
20. Gadamer’s Heidegger: On Language and Metaphysics Niall Keane
Part 4: Contemporary Encounters
21. Ricoeur and Gadamer Timo Helenius
22. Dialogue on Dialogue: Gadamer and Habermas Hans-Herbert Kögler
23. Gadamer and Derrida Eddo Evink
24. Poem, Dialogue and Witness: Gadamer’s Reading of Paul Celan Gert-Jan van der Heiden
25. Gianni Vattimo’s Encounter with Gadamer: Hermeneutic Ontology from Dialogue to Conflict Silvia Benso
Part 5: Beyond Philosophy
26. Gadamer and Theology Mirela Oliva
27. Gadamer and Jurisprudence Francis J. Mootz III
28. Hermeneutic Practice: What Gadamer Has to Teach Nursing Nancy Moules
29. Gadamer’s Critique of Historicism Anders Odenstedt
30. The Paradigmatic Interpenetration of Hermeneutics and Rhetoric John Arthos
31. Gadamer’s Contribution to Political Theory Darren Walhof
Part 6: Legacies and Questions
32. Gadamer and the Postmodern Mind John D. Caputo
33. Gadamer in Anglo-America Greg Lynch
34. From the Hermeneutics of Historically Effected Consciousness to Concrete Cosmological Understanding Alejandro A. Vallega
35. Gadamer and Feminism Catherine Homan
36. Gadamer and Race Theory Tina Fernandes Botts
37. On Eurocentrism: The Reception of Gadamer’s Hermeneutics in or related to Chinese Philosophy Kathleen Wright
38. The Ontology of the Work of Art and the Universality of Hermeneutics Reconsidered: Gadamer and New Realism Markus Gabriel
Index
Biography
Theodore George is Professor of Philosophy at Texas A&M University, USA. His research and teaching interests are in contemporary hermeneutics, contemporary continental ethics, and in German philosophy since Kant. His publications include Tragedies of Spirit: Tracing Finitude in Hegel’s Phenomenology (2007), The Responsibility to Understand: Hermeneutical Contours of Ethical Life (2020), and numerous articles and book chapters in his areas of interest. He is also translator of Günter Figal, Objectivity: the Hermeneutical and Philosophy, and serves as Editor of Epoché: a journal for the history of philosophy.
Gert-Jan van der Heiden is Professor of Metaphysics at Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He is the author of The Voice of Misery: A Continental Philosophy of Testimony (2020), Ontology after Ontotheology: Plurality, Event, and Contingency in Contemporary Philosophy (2014), and The Truth (and Untruth) of Language: Heidegger, Ricoeur, and Derrida on Disclosure and Displacement (2010). He (co-)edited Continental Perspectives on Community: Human Coexistence from Unity to Plurality (Routledge, 2020), Saint Paul and Philosophy: The Consonance of Ancient and Modern Thought (2017), Phenomenological Perspectives on Plurality (2014) and Investigating Subjectivity: Classical and New Perspectives (2012).