Conceptualizing human understanding: Gadamer's hermeneutics and American communication studies

Abstract

American descriptions of the communicative process differ from hermeneutic descriptions in their assumed conception of human understanding. American studies have generally assumed a “reproductive” view of understanding — trying to discover means for avoiding intersubjective misunderstandings by eliminating prejudices. Gadamer presented a “productive” view — trying to increase understanding by developing a positive concept of prejudice and presenting the interaction structure as more fundamental than the interactants. Developing an American hermeneutic consciousness along the model characterized by Gadamer not only places in perspective the view of American scholars but reveals alternatives to current research inadequacies and, thus, has implications for future communication studies.