Hans Georg Gadamer (1900-2002) was one of the giants of 20th century philosophy. Considered the father of contemporary hermeneutics, the study of texts, Gadamer lived a long life; one where he was old enough to react to both the Titanic disaster as well as 9/11. I recently read this great reflection on Gadamer's life and work, Ten Years Without Gadamer, which included a number of wonderful memories from the author. Included in the article is the following quote from Gadamer.
"The soul of hermeneutics consists in the possibility that the other might be right."
This truly humble, philosophical stance is one that we all should aspire to reach, especially since so much of contemporary academic philosophy is characterized by an arrogance that is unwilling to take the views of the other into consideration.
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