Sunday, October 02, 2005
Truth and Method :: Gadamer
I've been lugging around several hundred pages of German philosophy for just over a month now. (I can tell because I just received my first overdue notice.) I completed it on Sunday.
I have to confess it's the first book that has beaten me for several years. The language of philosophy has always been a little difficult, hence my attempts at avoiding systematic theology wherever possible.
Admittedly I have learnt a lot from Gadamer. This book was written near the end of his career, every page resounds with years of study and thought which make it dense and sometimes complex. He writes on what we can know, how we can know it and how it is communicated and understood (epistemology and hermeneutics).
He works with several main metaphors: play, translation, conversation -- all of which tie into these disciplines.
I wouldn't recommend it as Summer reading, but for those interested in the field it definitely seems worthwhile. May I recommend some knowledge of the history of western thought as a prerequisite?
I'm looking forward to coming back to my notes over the coming months and attempting a re-read in the distant future when more thought and life-experience will allow me to better understand and critique Gadamer's writings.
