Hermeneutics

 We do not just inherently understand everything we encounter in the world, so we must interpret it in some way to give it some meaning. We interpret the world through Hermeneutics, the study of interpretation. The word “Hermeneutics” is derived from the name of the Greek messenger god, Hermes, who could translate the language of the gods so that the humans could understand it.  Hermeneutics are broken up into five different categories. I will explain these different types, how each type works, and provide an example of one in everyday life that a person might encounter (a television show, an ad, etc.)

The five theories of Hermeneutics are: 

-  Natural   

-   Normative 

-   Scientific

-   Philosophical

-   Depth

The first category is “Natural.” This type is the “spontaneous everyday, usually unreflective interpreting we do when intersubjective understanding breaks down.” (K. Williams, 15) I would think that this hermeneutic could apply to just about any movie, television program, commercial, etc., because we are just so bombarded by them that at this point we barely think about interpreting them. It feels spontaneous and "natural."

 The next is Normative Hermeneutics. This hermeneutic is all about text interpretation. Some examples of people who interpret using this type of hermeneutic lawyers, judges, and priests. So this could apply to interpreting a legal document or a scripture. I think perhaps a an example of this might be a show featuring a televangelist, who may present passages from the Bible. The viewer of the show may interpret this text through the show. I also know from first hand experience that, growing up with four lawyers in my life, you can argue with a legal shows, like "Law and Order," when it comes to interpretation.  I'd often hear: "That'd never happen because *LAWYER-SPEAK EXPLANATION*!" They interpret the legal text within the show (and sometimes fight amongst themselves over it.)

The third is Scientific Hermeneutics. This is the category of hermeneutics that is “the foundation discipline of the human or historical sciences (Williams, 17)." An example of an advertisment that I thought applied to this category was this Dyson commercial for it's scientific approach to marketing it's product: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LApWU34o0eY

Then there is the study of Philosophical Hermeneutics. This category of Hermeneutics does not focus on the act of interpreting as the others do, but rather puts emphasis on our role as the interpreter. A category of this found in the media may be the blindfolded taste-test or something that focuses on the person who is interpreting and their reaction rather than how or what they interpret. 

The last category of Hermeneutics is Depth Hermeneutics. These are described as the "Hermeneutics of suspicion." This type is about liberation from "social dogma and oppression." (Williams, 19) Some examples of Depth Hermeneutics may be found in the works of Freud, Lacan and Marx. (20) An example of this may be when interpreting any type of news channel. 

These five categories provide examples as to how we see and understand the world around us. We encounter examples of them in the media that we consume daily. The study of the five types of Hermeneutics (Natural, Normative, Scientific, Philosophical, Depth) help us become more familiar with the different ways we are able to interpret the world around us.