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The (hermeneutic) circle of understanding
From Ancient Greece to modern echo chambers — A guide to better thinking
The glasses through which we see the world are invisible to us — until someone points out their tint. This is the fundamental insight behind one of philosophy’s most powerful ideas: the hermeneutic circle. The word comes from the Greek hermeneutikos, meaning “of or for interpreting,” and is a reference to Hermes, the god of speech, writing, and eloquence.
We often pride ourselves on thinking clearly and objectively, yet the ancient Greeks grasped something we’re only now rediscovering: our very ability to understand anything depends on the biases and predispositions we’re so eager to eliminate. Rhetorician Robin Reames, in her highly recommended The Ancient Art of Thinking for Yourself, writes:
“The point of the hermeneutic circle is to make us more aware of our predispositions and predilections that precondition and impinge on how we receive and interpret new information. … The hermeneutic circle sees biases as inevitable and even necessary to understand anything. … The point of recognizing our own hermeneutic circle is to try to become more aware of it, nevertheless realizing that complete escape is ultimately impossible.” (p. 6)
