Introduction

Hermeneutics has so far been concerned with two interrelated aspects: the mediation of tradition and the understanding of subjectively intended meaning. Differences between hermeneutic philosophy and hermeneutical theory revolved around the question of how such understanding was possible and to what extent it could constitute objective knowledge. But while both approaches placed conflicting emphasis on the role of the interpreter, they share the exclusion of one dimension: the questioning of the content of the object of interpretation. The practical engagement on the side of historic truth and a better future brings critical hermeneutics into contact with hermeneutic philosophy. The 'anticipation of perfection' Gadamer evidences as a precondition of interpretation is no longer regarded as merely a contemplative act. As 'depth hermeneutics', critical hermeneutics seeks out the causes of distorted understanding and communication which operate underneath seemingly normal interaction.