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cific theory of interpretation. However, the contemporary philosopher
Hans-Georg Gadamer has said that hermeneutics is an approach rather
than a method and, further, that the Hermeneutic circle is the central
problem of interpretation.
Hermeneutic approach presupposes interpretation of the text, its
assessment, and using the information in further communication, in-
cluding future professional activity.
The hermeneutic circle describes the process of understanding a
text hermeneutically. It refers to the idea that one's understanding of
the text as a whole is established by reference to the individual parts
and one's understanding of each individual part by reference to the
whole. Neither the whole text nor any individual part can be under-
stood without reference to one another, and hence, it is a circle. How-
ever, this circular character of interpretation does not make it impossi-
ble to interpret a text, rather, it stresses that the meaning of text must
be found within its cultural, historical, and literary context.
Essentially, hermeneutics involves cultivating the ability to un-
derstand things from somebody else's point of view, and to appreciate
the cultural and social forces that may have influenced their outlook.
Hermeneutics is the process of applying this understanding to inter-
preting the meaning of all written texts, including special medical
texts, and symbolic artifacts (such as art or sculpture or architecture),
which may be either historic or contemporary.
In the last two centuries, the scope of hermeneutics has expanded
to include the investigation and interpretation not only of textual and
artistic works, but of human behaviour generally, including language
and patterns of speech, social institutions, and ritual behaviours (such
as religious ceremonies, political rallies, football matches, rock con-
certs, etc.). Hermeneutics interprets or inquires into the meaning and
import of these phenomena, through understanding the point of view
and 'inner life' (Dilthey) of an insider, or the first-person perspective
of an engaged participant in these phenomena.
Interpretation is the process establishing, either simultaneously
(known as simultaneous interpretation) or consecutively (known as
consecutive interpretation), oral or gestural communications between
two or more speakers who are not able to use the same set of symbols.