Question And Answer

Dialogue is one of the core conceptions of Gadamer's hermeneutics. In his view, understanding is an event of dialogue, namely, the understanding of historical event is a dialogue between the historical event and the interpreter. In his discussion on language, Gadamer emphasizes the dialogical nature of language, and considers "dialogue" carried out equally as the condition to reveal linguistic function. In his later writings, Gadamer employed "dialogue" to offset "writing" advocated by Derrida, thereby defended the tradition of phonologism after Plato. Habermas was inspired by Gadamer's dialogue theory and developed his theory of communicative action. Therefore, the author of this thesis believes that an exploration of Gadamer's conception of dialogue and his dialogue theory will contribute to a better understanding of the overall development of Gadamer's hermeneutics.The thesis begins with a discussion of phonologism, then moves to a systematic exposition of the concept of dialogue, with emphases on the theoretical background of the formation of the dialogue theory, its relationships with other theories and its development. It attempts to offer a comprehensive view of Gadamer's dialogue theory.