Ontological Groundwork for Hermeneutics: Heidegger and Gadamer

Abstract

Heidegger transformed Schleiermacher and Dielthey"s hermeneutic approaches epistemological and procedural implications on an ontological basis and in Time and Being by using "hermeneutic cycle" he have brought a thinking experience in to hermeneutics. Heideggerian pretense claims that understanding has an ontological not epistemological basis. This claim had a broad repercussion in Gadamer who have brought his thesis about universality of hermeneutics in philosophy. Heidegger and Gadamer"s importance in hermeneutic tradition is that they have based Husserl"s phenomenological methodology (which has an epistemological implication) in an ontological context. Both in Heidegger"s and Gadamer"s philosophy, ontology correspond to understanding existence of humanly existence in Dasein style. In this context; the basic structure of both philosophers hermeneutic approach consists of the original link between phenomena and logos as verbalism which is; the essential relation between language, understanding and rendition