Hermeneutics is the science and philosophy of interpretation. This phenomenon is named after the messenger of the  Gods, Hermes.  As interpreters, we humans find meaning in things everyday. There are five types of hermeneutics. There is natural, normative, scientific, philosophical, and depth hermeneutics.

The first type is natural. Natural hermeneutics is the spontaneous, everyday, usually unreflective interpreting we do when inter-subjective understanding breaks down. This reflexive interpreting can be exemplified by simple, every day conversation. Students interpreting a teachers lecture in class or friends interpreting friends in a gossip session, this type of hermeneutic is natural. This natural hermeneutic is in use every day. Natural hermeneutics is important in every day life because without it, no one would be able to interpret together at all.

The second type of hermeneutic is normative hermeneutics. Normative hermeneutics is the art of text interpretation as a deliberate discipline by a specialist caste. The professions in which this interpretation most occurs is priests, lawyers, and judges. This type is important in life because without the discipline of text interpretation there might be chaos among people.

The third type is scientific hermeneutics. Scientific hermeneutics is the foundational discipline of the human or historical sciences. Scientific study is used every day in experimentation. In this type an experimental procedure occurs, therefore the experiment is conducted, recorded, and communicated. The scientific hermeneutics prove that something, proven through experiment, will happen again.

The fourth type of hermeneutic is philosophical hermeneutics. Philosophical hermeneutics is a general philosophy of existence. Humans are in the world around them and the world around them calls for understanding. Humans are interpreters, therefore it is less what humans do and more what they are. Humans wake up in the world every day and are constantly surrounded by it. Humans seek meaning in everything and this is used every day in understanding.

The fifth type of hermeneutic is depth hermeneutics. Depths hermeneutics is the hermeneutics of suspicion. This hermeneutics is associated with the enlightenment project of emancipation and liberation from social doctrine and oppression. This hermeneutics is named for its reputation of going below waking consciousness. Associated with depth hermeneutics is ideology from Marx, unconscious from Freud, language from Lacan, and discourse from Foucault. These ideas and people are fairly well known in society. Depth looks for a deeper meaning through the ideas of higher thinkers.

An example of my personal life from natural hermeneutics is that I attend several classes a day and interact with friends through conversation. I am not aware of it as it is happening but I am constantly interpreting lectures and spoken words throughout the day and communicating appropriately in return. Even when I listen to music on the way to class I am interpreting the sounds and lyrics I hear.

Hermeneutics