Dean Komel

Kada se raspravlja o filozofskoj hermeneutici, riječ »filozofska« nije tek običan atribut. Prije svega, ona označava zbiljsku djelatnost filozofije same, koja u sebi razotkriva hermeneutičko pitanje o mogućnosti istine. Razvoj filozofske hermeneutike u 20. st. ovisi dakle o povijesnom suočavanju filozofije s pitanjem o mogućnosti njene imanentne istine. Ova »povijesna« dimenzija nije nešto izvanjsko filozofiji, već njena unutarnja sposobnost mogućnosti samog filozofskog mišljenja koje implicira temeljnu pretpostavku filozofske hermeneutike na koju ovdje pokušavamo ukazati i razraditi. Stoga unaprijed prihvaćamo povijesni kriterij filozofskog mišljenja.When discussing philosophical hermeneutics, the word »philosophical« is not just an ordinary attribute. Above all, it denotes the very activity of philosophy itself, which in itself discloses the hermeneutic question of the possibility of truth. The development of the 20th century philosophical hermeneutics thus depends on the philosophy’s historical facing the question of the possibility of its immanent truth. This »historical« dimension is not something extrinsic to philosophy, but rather an intrinsic quality of the possibility of philosophical thinking itself, which implies the basic presupposition of philosophical hermeneutics we’re here trying to indicate and develop. We therefore accept in advance the historical criterion of philosophical thinking

he article tackles the distinction between multiculturalism and interculturality, which evinces a phenomenological relevance, insofar it concerns the investigation of the worldhood of the world. The first problem arising in this respect is the issue of gaining phenomenological evidence of such distinction. It is necessary to take into account the historical relationship of philosophy and culture. This is evinced in the measure of the epochal opening up of truth, which proves decisive for grounding historical humanness. The discussion of interculturality therefore cannot avoid historical nihilism as the determining cultural disposition of contemporary Europe, which in the meantime grew to planetary proportions. Phenomenological original evidence that the world speaks in various languages hereby stumbles upon its historical limit as marked by controversial announcements of the “end of history”. The fact that phenomenology of today lacks the evidence of differentiating between multiculturalism and interculturality is not some sort of theoretical deficit but rather the epochal withdrawal which brings to the fore a conversation and opens up an understanding of interculturality as the culture in conversation

It seems that everything in hermeneutics begins with the question and that the very phenomenon of hermeneutics is regarded by contemporary philosophy more as a question than as a concept. It is for this very reason that it seems necessary to start a hermeneutic discussion on the possibility of philosophy as principally critical thinking, which does not only attempt to rehabilitate its previous greatness. Philosophical hermeneutics cannot accept the role of merely providing an alternative answer to the question of the possibility of philosophy, nor should it seek and find the answer in what philosophy used to be. Philosophical hermeneutics cannot impose itself neither as a new nor as a different response to philosophy. Rather, it must first and foremost respond to its question, and through this only, following Schleiermacher, hermeneutics is an ability of understanding the language of the other. And of course, we have to ask ourselves straight away, where, on which spot, from which side should philosophical hermeneutics approach this issue?

The purpose of this article is to consider interculturalism as a sort of pseudonym: it does not only deal with culture, but also with its subtracted truth. For this reason, an intercultural theory that simply criticizes Eurocentrism and western hegemony countering them with the prospects of diversity totally misses the target: change should occur originating from inside the same thought that has originated Eurocentrism. Here interculturalism differs from multiculturalism which defends diversity without seeking a common ground, identifiable, according to the Author, with the intermediate state of being in the world

The underlying premise of this essay is that the essential contribution of the hermeneutic turn in contemporary philosophy is the acknowledgment of a historical criterion of thinking, whereby the philosophical tradition is claimed by the question of its own truth. Philosophy, historically established by founding experience in truth, thus finds itself facing the open experience of truth, i.e. the truth as the coming about of the openness. Philosophical hermeneutics, as differing from hermeneutic philosophy, cannot limit itself solely to interpretative criticism. Rather, it must follow the opening of truth primarily happening in transit from thinking to language. And the moment of this transit is the question of ourselves.