高達美的詮釋學

Gadamer's Hermeneutics

高達美的《真理與方法》一書乃是對科學昌明時代境況的反思。所謂的方法是指自然科學方法，尤其是指由培根和笛卡爾分別開創的歸納法和演繹法，以及人文科學從自然科學那裡借用來的方法。科學方法的氾濫造成一種強烈的控制意識，方法本身甚至由對自然界的主宰而轉變成主宰人類生活的東西，使人陷於異化的處境。高氏將真理與方法分離，主張方法不能保證人能獲得真理，相反地，真理經常困惑著運用科學方法的人。 由此，高達美揭示了三條通往真理的非方法大道：藝術、歷史和語言。透過對美學上對主觀主義（如康德）的批判，高氏首先強調藝術經驗與科學經驗的對立，強調了藝術也是一種對真理的認識。而遊戲即是藝術作為存在真理之顯現，遊戲拋棄主體和客體的對立，具有真理之發生和真理之參與的特性。而對藝術的理解總是包含著歷史的中介，因此高氏又提出歷史理解中的真理問題。理解不僅貫穿到美學之中，而且還貫穿到傳統和歷史之中，因為理解是人在世的基本模式。理解本身，並非基於主體或客體的認識關係，而是二者的統一。成見在歷史的理解中作為真理的條件而出現，正是帶有成見的人透過視域融合，才使得形塑歷史發生作用，而真理終將透過問答邏輯的辯證過程呈現出來。而藝術與歷史這兩種理解模式終將統一於語言。語言即理解，亦即存在的模式。因此，語言就不是符號工具，它具有使世界得以表現和繼續存在的作用，在高達美的哲學詮釋學中，語言問題是佔有關鍵地位的。在高達美學術思想的後期，與哈伯馬斯、利科、德里達等人所進行的批判與反批判的論戰中逐漸將興趣轉向實踐哲學，而更為關注價值、生存等倫理學問題。這些對話的結果則對高達美哲學詮釋學的發展有推進的作用。

The purpose of this paper is to review Hans-George Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics and its influence on academia. His Truth and Method represents his reflections on science. He argues that the methods of natural science, including those of induction and deduction developed by Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes, respectively, result in a consciousness of control whose impact spreads from Nature to people themselves. He also contends that the scientific method cannot ensure that people will arrive at the truth. Conversely, the truth itself often confuses those who apply the scientific method. Accordingly, Gadamer explores three avenues to truth: art, history and language. Through his critique of aesthetic subjectivity, he contends that artistic experience is the antithesis of scientific experience and argues that art is a kind of recognition of truth. "Play," as a manifestation of the truth of being, is characterized by the "eventing of truth" and the "participation of truth." Furthermore, Gadamer considers the issue of truth through understanding of history. "Understanding", as one of the basic mode of existence, not only exists in aesthetics, but also penetrates history and tradition. Gadamer asserts that understanding is not based on the subject/object dichotomy, but based on the unity of subject and object. People who have "prejudices" in their understanding of history can access truth via the "fusion of horizons" and the dialectic logic of question and answer. Finally, these modes of understanding of art and history are ultimately united in "language." "Language" not only is a tool of symbolic communication, but also enables the world to manifest itself and continue to exist.