The Blackwell Companion to Hermeneutics BLACKWELL COMPANIONS TO PhILOSOPHY This outstanding student reference series offers a comprehensive and authoritative survey of philosophy as a whole. Written by today’s leading philosophers, each volume provides lucid and engaging coverage of the key figures, terms, topics, and problems of the field. Taken together, the volumes provide the ideal basis for course use, representing an unparalleled work of reference for students and specialists alike. Already published in the series: 1. The Blackwell Companion to Philosophy, Second Edition 31. A Companion to Pragmatism Edited by Nicholas Bunnin and Eric Tsui-James Edited by John R. Shook and Joseph Margolis 2. A Companion to Ethics 32. A Companion to Ancient Philosophy Edited by Peter Singer Edited by Mary Louise Gill and Pierre Pellegrin 3. A Companion to Aesthetics, Second Edition 33. A Companion to Nietzsche Edited by Stephen Davies, Kathleen Marie Higgins, Robert Edited by Keith Ansell Pearson Hopkins, Robert Stecker, and David E. Cooper 34. A Companion to Socrates 4. A Companion to Epistemology, Second Edition Edited by Sara Ahbel-Rappe and Rachana Kamtekar Edited by Jonathan Dancy, Ernest Sosa and Matthias Steup 35. A Companion to Phenomenology and Existentialism 5. A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy Edited by Hubert L. Dreyfus and Mark A. Wrathall (two-volume set), Second Edition 36. A Companion to Kant Edited by Robert E. Goodin and Philip Pettit Edited by Graham Bird 6. A Companion to Philosophy of Mind 37. A Companion to Plato Edited by Samuel Guttenplan Edited by Hugh H. Benson 7. A Companion to Metaphysics, Second Edition 38. A Companion to Descartes Edited by Jaegwon Kim, Ernest Sosa and Gary S. Rosenkrantz Edited by Janet Broughton and John Carriero 8. A Companion to Philosophy of Law and Legal Theory, 39. A Companion to the Philosophy of Biology Second Edition Edited by Sahotra Sarkar and Anya Plutynski Edited by Dennis Patterson 40. A Companion to Hume 9. A Companion to Philosophy of Religion, Second Edition Edited by Elizabeth S. Radcliffe Edited by Charles Taliaferro, Paul Draper, and Philip L. Quinn 41. A Companion to the Philosophy of History and Historiography 10. A Companion to the Philosophy of Language Edited by Aviezer Tucker Edited by Bob Hale and Crispin Wright 42. A Companion to Aristotle 11. A Companion to World Philosophies Edited by Georgios Anagnostopoulos Edited by Eliot Deutsch and Ron Bontekoe 43. A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology 12. A Companion to Continental Philosophy Edited by Jan-Kyrre Berg Olsen, Stig Andur Pedersen, Edited by Simon Critchley and William Schroeder and Vincent F. Hendricks 13. A Companion to Feminist Philosophy 44. A Companion to Latin American Philosophy Edited by Alison M. Jaggar and Iris Marion Young Edited by Susana Nuccetelli, Ofelia Schutte, and Otávio Bueno 14. A Companion to Cognitive Science 45. A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature Edited by William Bechtel and George Graham Edited by Garry L. Hagberg and Walter Jost 15. A Companion to Bioethics, Second Edition 46. A Companion to the Philosophy of Action Edited by Helga Kuhse and Peter Singer Edited by Timothy O’Connor and Constantine Sandis 16. A Companion to the Philosophers 47. A Companion to Relativism Edited by Robert L. Arrington Edited by Steven D. Hales 17. A Companion to Business Ethics 48. A Companion to Hegel Edited by Robert E. Frederick Edited by Stephen Houlgate and Michael Baur 18. A Companion to the Philosophy of Science 49. A Companion to Schopenhauer Edited by W. H. Newton-Smith Edited by Bart Vandenabeele 19. A Companion to Environmental Philosophy 50. A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy Edited by Dale Jamieson Edited by Steven M. Emmanuel 20. A Companion to Analytic Philosophy 51. A Companion to Foucault Edited by A. P. Martinich and David Sosa Edited by Christopher Falzon, Timothy O’Leary, 21. A Companion to Genethics and Jana Sawicki Edited by Justine Burley and John Harris 52. A Companion to the Philosophy of Time 22. A Companion to Philosophical Logic Edited by Heather Dyke and Adrian Bardon Edited by Dale Jacquette 53. A Companion to Donald Davidson 23. A Companion to Early Modern Philosophy Edited by Ernest Lepore and Kirk Ludwig Edited by Steven Nadler 54. A Companion to Rawls 24. A Companion to Philosophy in the Middle Ages Edited by Jon Mandle and David Reidy Edited by Jorge J. E. Gracia and Timothy B. Noone 55. A Companion to W.V.O Quine 25. A Companion to African-American Philosophy Edited by Gilbert Harman and Ernest Lepore Edited by Tommy L. Lott and John P. Pittman 56. A Companion to Derrida 26. A Companion to Applied Ethics Edited by Zeynep Direk and Leonard Lawlor Edited by R. G. Frey and Christopher Heath Wellman 57. A Companion to David Lewis 27. A Companion to the Philosophy of Education Edited by Barry Loewer and Jonathan Schaffer Edited by Randall Curren 58. A Companion to Kierkegaard 28. A Companion to African Philosophy Edited by Jon Stewart Edited by Kwasi Wiredu 59. A Companion to Locke 29. A Companion to Heidegger Edited by Matthew Stuart Edited by Hubert L. Dreyfus and Mark A. Wrathall 60. The Blackwell Companion to Hermeneutics 30. A Companion to Rationalism Edited by Niall Keane and Chris Lawn Edited by Alan Nelson The Blackwell Companion to Hermeneutics Edited by Niall Keane and Chris Lawn This edition first published 2016 © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Inc Registered Office John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial Offices 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148‐5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book, please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley‐blackwell. The right of Niall Keane and Chris Lawn to be identified as the authors of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and authors have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication data applied for 9781118529638 (hardback) A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Cover image: © Sabena Jane Blackbird / Alamy Set in 9.5/12pt Minion by SPi Global, Pondicherry, India 1 2016 Contents Notes on Contributors x Introduction 1 Niall Keane and Chris Lawn Part I Hermeneutics and the History of Philosophy 9 1 The History of Hermeneutics 11 Eileen Brennan 2 Hermeneutics and the Ancient Philosophical Legacy: Hermēneia and Phronēsis 22 Jussi Backman 3 Medieval Hermeneutics 34 David Vessey 4 Hermeneutics and Modern Philosophy: The Art of Understanding 45 Andrew Bowie 5 Gadamer and German Idealism 54 Theodore George Part II Themes and Topics 63 6 Hermeneutics and Ethical Life: On the Return to Factical Life 65 Dennis J. Schmidt 7 Hermeneutics and Politics 72 Bruce Krajewski 8 Religion 77 Felix Ó Murchadha 9 Method 86 Inga Römer vi Contents 10 Truth 96 Kristin Gjesdal 11 Historicity and Temporality 105 Brian Rogers 12 Memory 114 Hans Ruin 13 Language and Alterity 122 James Risser 14 Identity, History, Tradition 130 Charles Guignon 15 Recognition and Freedom 144 David Espinet and Matthias Flatscher 16 Aesthetics and Perception 155 Günter Figal 17 Hermeneutics and Ontology 162 István M. Fehér 18 Narrative 172 Robert Piercey 19 Rationality, Knowledge, and Relativism 180 Paul Fairfield 20 Finitude 188 Thomas Schwarz Wentzer 21 Authority 197 Robert J. Dostal 22 Subjectivity and Hermeneutics 205 John Russon 23 Biblical Hermeneutics 212 Jens Zimmermann Part III Key Concepts 227 24 Understanding 229 Donatella Di Cesare 25 Interpretation, Judgment, and Critique 236 Rudolf A. Makkreel 26 Word, Image, and Concept 242 Nicholas Davey 27 Horizonality 248 Thomas J. Nenon 28 Application and Praxis 253 Lawrence K. Schmidt Contents vii 29 Dialectic 259 Thomas Schwarz Wentzer 30 Play 265 Tony O’ Connor 31 Sense and Meaning: From Aristotle to Heidegger 270 Thomas Sheehan 32 Prejudice and Pre‐Understanding 280 István M. Fehér 33 On the Manifold Senses of Mimesis: From Plato to Gadamer and Beyond 289 John Sallis 34 The Hermeneutical Circle 299 Jean Grondin 35 Metaphor and Symbol 306 Karl Simms 36 Dialogue, Goodwill, and Community 312 David Vessey 37 Textuality 320 Karl Simms 38 Lived Experience: Erlebnis and Erfahrung 326 Nicholas Davey Part IV Major Figures 333 39 Martin Luther 335 Jens Zimmermann 40 August Boeckh 342 Robert J.