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Document Details : Title: Gadamer, Lebensphilosophie, and Bringing a Text to Life Author(s): VESSEY, David Journal: Etudes phénoménologiques - Phenomenological Studies Volume: 2 Date: 2018 Pages: 159-177 DOI: 10.2143/EPH.2.0.3254117 Abstract : Hans-Georg Gadamer credits Martin Heidegger for showing him how to interpret a text such that the text is brought to life. I consider the meaning of 'life' in this expression and trace the roots to the tradition of Lebensphilosophie that was culturally dominant during Gadamer’s youth. I argue that the greatest impact on Gadamer of the Philosophers of Life – such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Henri Bergson, Wilhelm Dilthey, and Georg Simmel – is that he considers the reanimation of a text as a criterion for a successful interpretation. For Gadamer, hermeneutics is in the service of life. |
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