Anmerkungen zu Gadamers Einschätzung der Klassischen Philologie

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Zurück zum Heft: Archiv für Begriffsgeschichte. Band 66,2
DOI: 10.28937/9783787349746_4

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The role of classical philology in Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics is multifaceted. Gadamer critiques a version of classical philology that merely aims to archive ancient evidence. To transcend the narrow, positivistic approach, he proposes integrating philology into philosophy— on the condition that it combines rigorous textual analysis with a philosophical interpretation of the content, while also considering the relevance of the texts for their present-day recipients. This demand is particularly pronounced in his interpretation of Plato’s dialogues. The philological method that Gadamer learnt primarily from Paul Friedländer proves to be essential for the development of his hermeneutic theory in his early works, in Truth and Method and in later essays. As this paper argues, Gadamer was not the first one who required that philologists should consider the aspects of philosophical relevance and recipient orientation. In antiquity, the question was discussed why certain texts are preserved, how they should be read and what benefits recipients can derive from reading texts like Plato’s dialogues. The modern discussion between philologists and philosophers about supplementing the Alexandrian philological method with the aspects of philosophical relevance and recipient orientation is thus part of an ancient tradition.