Brady DeHoust

“Hermeneutics and Theology” represents Gadamer’s account of the task of theology considered as a human science. Gadamer explicates the relation between discourse and interpretation, situates the uniqueness of religious discourse among other kinds of texts, examines the specific task of Scriptural hermeneutics, and works to adapt his own philosophical-hermeneutical insights to the discipline of theology by way of Aristotelian practical philosophy. In this, he connects hermeneutics and theology as sharing the essential task of providing reflective clarity in service of lived experience and communal practice. Theology is rooted in, and not abstracted from, the concrete situation of the faithful.

“Hermeneutics and Theology,” addressed to theologians, represents Gadamer’s account of the task of theology considered as a human science. In this brief translator's introduction, I will first relate the original context of Gadamer's 1977 essay. I will then proceed to summarize the essay, focusing on aspects distinct from Gadamer’s other writings on theology and religion. These include Gadamer’s distinction between religious discourses, his analysis of theology as a “secondary form of reflection” vis a vis faith, and his explication of theology in terms of hermeneutics and Aristotelian practical philosophy. Finally, I will indicate some relevant areas of scholarship to which this new translation ought to be relevant, including Gadamerian approaches to theology and religious studies, contemporary debates in the philosophy of revelation, and broader ethical and political applications of Gadamerian thought.

Engineers routinely face decisions with moral and ethical implications at the personal, professional, and societal levels. Recent events such as oil spills, product recalls, and infrastructure failures highlight the urgent need for stronger ethical standards in engineering education and practice. Although literature on science and engineering ethics continues to grow, much of it remains fragmented across disciplines and domains, making it difficult to assess the overall state of the field. This paper addresses this gap by conducting a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed studies on pedagogical approaches intended to contribute to ethical and responsible practice in engineering, published between 2013 and 2022. A total of 159 studies were analyzed and categorized according to whether they were interventions, assessments, or both, and, drawing from James R. Rest’s application of the component model of moral development to the professions, whether the desired learning outcome was moral awareness, ethical and professional knowledge, or moral reasoning. We also analyzed whether the research aimed to instill or measure ethical self-efficacy, confidence in one’s knowledge and skills related to ethical action, an attribute often considered in engineering education. The review provides an overview of the plurality of educational interventions and assessments and includes a brief description of each. Implications for educators, researchers, and practitioners are discussed, along with recommendations for future research and curriculum development.

ABSTRACT The question of this article is whether the saturated phenomenon as articulated in the early work of Jean-Luc Marion may appear within language and history, or in other words how a non- or extra-horizonal event can appear within the horizons necessary for communication and communality. This problem is significant, among other reasons, because saturated aesthetic, ethical, and religious phenomena constitute important bases for communal values. The article argues that Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophy of language offers resources that allow us to understand how a saturated phenomenon can appear communicably and communally without sacrificing the irreducible excessiveness of its appearance. The author draws on parallels between Marion and Gadamer to argue that the poetic word and the conversation present possibilities of the saturated phenomenon occurring within language and history, and suggests the “saturated question” as a name for this mode of appearance.