Hermeneutics and Truth: From Alētheia to Attestation

Authors

  • Sebastian Purcell Department of Philosophy SUNY-Cortland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/errs.2013.156

Keywords:

Aletheia, Attestation, Events, Heidegger, Truth, Finitude

Abstract

This essay aims to correct a prevalent misconception about Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutics, which understands it to support a conception of human understanding as finite as Heidegger did, but in a more “conceptuallyconservative” way. The result is that Ricoeur’s work is viewed as incapable of addressing the most pressingproblems in contemporary Continental metaphysics. In response, it is argued that Ricoeur is in fact the firstto develop an infinite hermeneutics, which departs significantly from Heideggerian finitude. This positionis demonstrated by tracing the itinerary from Heidegger’s account of aletheia to Ricoeur’s account ofattestation. The conclusion, then, not only clears Ricoeur of the stated charges, but also presents a moreviable path for the future of hermeneutics.

Author Biography

Sebastian Purcell, Department of Philosophy SUNY-Cortland

Sebastian Purcell specializes in Contemporary Continental Philosophy, Social and Political Philosophy, and Latin American Philosophy.

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Published

2013-01-29

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2013)

Section

Varia

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