A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology

Hermeneutics

Yet another philosophical methodology that holds an important place within the philosophy of technology is hermeneutics. Hermeneutics began as the specialty of biblical interpretation. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, its sense was broadened by Friedrich Schleiermacher to include the interpretation of all sorts of written texts. At the end of the nineteenth century it was further expanded by Wilhelm Dilthey to include the interpretation of culture in general. In the late twentieth century the scope of hermeneutics as a branch of the humanities and literary interpretation was even further extended to include science. At first the hermeneutics of science encompassed only the interpretation of science as a part of culture. However, in recent decades Don Ihde has further expanded hermeneutics to “hermeneutics in science,” that is an account of the role of hermeneutic interpretation as part of scientific procedure. The “texts” interpreted by hermeneutics in science include prominently the deliverances of scientific instruments.