Gadamer's dialectical hermeneutics

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Gadamer's Dialectical Hermeneutics explores the importance of Plato in Gadamer's hermeneutics, emphasizing a dialectic that reflects the Platonic separation between the transcendent and sensory realms. Lauren Swayne Barthold argues that Gadamer highlights the "in-between" nature of human understanding, likening it to Hermes: finite beings striving for infinity beyond being. This dialectical perspective clarifies key themes in Gadamer's work. It illustrates his affirmation of both theory and practice in hermeneutics, emphasizing that truth is an event of understanding we engage with rather than a separate criterion. The book also sheds light on the significance of dialogue, highlighting the essential role of the other in understanding. Additionally, it substantiates the concept of the good-beyond-being as vital to comprehension. Barthold's reading of Gadamer transcends labels like realism or essentialism, revealing his primary aim to uncover the ethical and dialectically ethical dimensions of philosophy, as well as its practical implications.