Hermeneutics, "great" philosophy, and Jaspers' Schelling

Tom Rockmore

Peking University

pp. 195-207

in: Frank M. Kirkland, Chattopadhyaya (eds), Phenomenology: East and West, Berlin, Springer, 1993

Abstract

Prof. J.N. Mohanty has been identified with phenomenology in the deepest and widest sense of the term, including not only Husserl, but Hegel, and more recent forms, such as hermeneutic phenomenology.¹ Now as Gadamer has reminded us, one of the results of hermeneutics, or textual interpretation, is to reveal aspects of a text which surpass the knowledge or intention of its author. The purpose of this paper is to consider Jaspers' important book on Schelling.² As we shall see, although Jaspers has a precise aim in view, examination of his work will lead to a very different conclusion than he apparently intends. In that sense, Jaspers' book is an unwitting instance of the fact that texts have a life of their own which frequently escapes full control of their authors.³

Cited authors

Husserl Edmund

Jaspers Karl