On The Charcter Of Gadamer's View Of "Understanding"

In allusion to the accusation that Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics has a tendency of the relativism, this paper attempts to analyze the character of Gadamer's view of understanding. The paper is divided into four parts.The preface mainly introduces the topic and its situation of analysis.The first chapter firstly analyses the connotation and characteristic of absolute objectivism, and the dilemma of the absolute objectivism of " the theory of the intention of auther " and " the theory of Erlebnis " , then argues that Gadamer's view of understanding goes beyond the absolute objectivism in three aspects: First, the " understanding " as traditional epistemology category converted toward the ontology category; and emphasizes the understanding is the existent mode of " Dasein " . The understanding as traditional epistemology category regards the subjective-objective distinction as characteristic and premise, and aims for pursuing the " meaning " as a object. The understanding concept of Gadamer inherits and develops the idea of Heidegger on the understanding is the existent mode of " Dasein " . As an ontological category, it is related to the historic existence of human being. Secondly, Gadamer refused and boycotted the universal request of modern natural science method. The purpose of his idea is to decidedly object to the invasion of the objective thinking pattern of natural science's subjective-objective distinction toward moral sciences, is to break from the objective thinking pattern of subjective-objective distinction, and is to quit the pursuit for uncertainty and objectivity. Thirdly, Gadamer advocated " the theory of generative meaning " or " the theory of the fusion of meaning " . The aim of his understanding is to seek the truth of texts, and is to object to reconstruct the original intention of writer; the process of his understanding is to insist on the fusion and mediation of the meaning .Gadamer thought that readers' understanding for texts is not a retrospective movement toward writer's original intention. On the contrary, it is a existent mode of " Dasein " realized by virtue of texts .Thus, the key of problem lies in how to realize the thinking communication between the past truth and the present life in the process of understanding. The process of understanding is a generative one of texts' meaning where reader interprets the text on the basis of his historicity, and fusion of horizons comes into existence in communication with texts.The second chapter firstly explains the connotation and characteristic of relativism, then argues that Gadamer's view of understanding goes beyond the relativism in three aspects: Firstly, the paper affirms that the " Vorurteil" or prejudice as the factor of the ontology is a productive and positive factor of the understanding . As the necessary condition of understanding, the prejudice doesn't contain the any element of arbitrary subjectivity, and is regarded as the factor of ontology, It objectively describes the true process of understanding .This is one of Gadamer's crucial points beyond relativism. Secondly, the understanding is a dialogic and inter-subjective event. It objects to the subjectivity and randomness of understanding. As a dialogic event, the premise of understanding is to correctly realize the relation between the historical event and interpreter which is not subjective-objective and cognitive-cognized relation, but is inter-subjective relation. Namely, it is an equal dialogic relation between question and answer. Gadamer correctly pointed out that only the effective historical consciousness about the relation between you and I guaranteed the proceeding of real dialogue. Accordingly, it avoided the subjective randomness of subject and the relativism of understanding. Gadamer's phenomenological description of " play-dialogue " further emphasizes the non-subjectivity and non-randomness of understanding as dialogue. Thirdly, the disclosure and " Aletheia " of the ontological truth of the Philosophical hermeneutics is an infinite process. From the origin of sense, truth is a state of disclosure and " Aletheia " . Different from traditional epistemological truth, hermeneutical truth is an Ontological truth. The truth is a gradually generative thing during the process of understanding, and is not a ready thing existing in somewhere for us to discover and recognize. The disclosure and " Aletheia " of the hermeneutical truth is associated with the practice of mankind, and has a close connection with hermeneutical contexts. Finally, this chapter points out the relativity of Gadamer's view of understanding. Relativity differs from relativism. The relationship between relativity and absolutism, diversity and unity, uncertainty and certainty is a dialectical one.The third chapter mainly analyses the dimension of knowledge in the ontological hermeneutics and the issue of objectivity. In the ontological hermeneutics, one of Gadamer's contributions is to convert toward the truth of being' meaning. But his thinking pattern which insists on the hermeneutic dimension of truth and excludes the dimension of knowledge of truth, is wrong. Therefore, attaching importance to the dimension of knowledge of ontological hermeneutics can lay the solid foundation of Gadamer's view of understanding beyond the relativism. In addition, the connotation of traditional objectivity also affects people's idea of Gadamer's view of understanding. Thus, reconstructing the connotation of objectivity is critical. It can defend the non- relativism of Gadamer's view of understanding...