No. 76 (2026): Número en curso
Articles

The Dialectical Interpretation of Hermeneutics

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  • Luis Eduardo Gama Barbosa
Luis Eduardo Gama Barbosa National University of Colombia image/svg+xml

Published 2026-07-10

How to Cite

Gama Barbosa, L. E. (2026). The Dialectical Interpretation of Hermeneutics. Tópicos, Revista De Filosofía, 76, 373-407. https://doi.org/10.21555/top.v760.3369

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Abstract

The rise of the theme of interpretation in contemporary philosophy has sparked criticism of those positions that treat all human praxis as a form of interpretation, promoting a relativism for which no objective truth exists. This paper argues that Hans-Georg Gadamer´s hermeneutics avoids this criticism by developing a dialectical notion of interpretation in which interpreting does not mean imposing an arbitrary meaning, but rather mediating a particular concrete situation through a common space of meaning. Here it is examined how, according to Gadamer, this mediation takes place both in the understanding of the social world and at the more fundamental level of living language. Finally, some avenues for further development opened up by this examination are suggested, in particular that of a hermeneutic social philosophy capable of providing guidance on meaning to contemporary capitalist societies. 

Keywords

  • Hans-Georg Gadamer,
  • dialectics,
  • hermeneutics,
  • interpretation,
  • mediation,
  • understanding,
  • fusion of horizons,
  • hermeneutic dialogue,
  • dialectic of question and answer,
  • horizon of meaning
    • ...More
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