In the philosophy of
Hans-Georg Gadamer
Hans-Georg Gadamer (; ; 11 February 1900 – 13 March 2002) was a German philosopher of the continental tradition, best known for his 1960 on hermeneutics, '' Truth and Method'' (''Wahrheit und Methode'').
Life
Family and early life
Gad ...
, a fusion of horizons () is the process through which the members of a hermeneutical dialogue establish the broader context within which they come to a shared understanding.
In
phenomenology
Phenomenology may refer to:
Art
* Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties
Philosophy
* Phenomenology (Peirce), a branch of philosophy according to Charles Sanders Peirce (1839â ...
, a horizon refers to the context within which of any meaningful
presentation
A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product. Presenta ...
is contained. For Gadamer, we exist neither in closed horizons, nor within a horizon that is unique; we must reject both the assumption of
absolute knowledge, that universal history can be articulated within a single horizon, and the assumption of
objectivity, that we can "forget ourselves" in order to achieve an objective perspective of the other participant.
According to Gadamer, since it is not possible to totally remove oneself from one's own broader context, (e.g. the background, history, culture, gender, language, education, etc.) to an entirely different system of attitudes, beliefs and ways of thinking, in order to be able to gain an understanding from a conversation or dialogue about different cultures we must acquire "the right horizon of inquiry for the questions evoked by the encounter with tradition."
through negotiation; in order to come to an agreement, the participants must establish a shared context through this "fusion" of their horizons.
See also
*
Horizon of expectation
*
Perspectivism
Perspectivism (also called perspectivalism) is the epistemological principle that perception of and knowledge of something are always bound to the interpretive perspectives of those observing it. While perspectivism regard all perspectives and ...
Notes
References
*
Concepts in epistemology
Hans-Georg Gadamer
Hermeneutics
Phenomenology
Social epistemology
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