Fusion Of Horizons Research Articles

Translatability or untranslatability: Perspectives in Chinese translations of Jabberwocky

ABSTRACTIt is the translation of children’s literature that heralded the birth of Chinese children’s literature and has inspired and enriched its writing. Since translators’ perspectives towards children’s literature and its translation as well as assumptions on a certain kind of child readership all work together in determining their strategies and their translation quality, as shown in the translation of Jabberwocky, it is helpful to examine translators’ perspectives in translating children's classics such as Through the Looking-Glass. The current research aims at revealing the evolution of practices and thoughts about Chinese translated works for children. Findings from the comparison of Chao Yuenren’s and the most recent translated versions of the nonsense poem reveal translators’ different perspectives towards children's literature and its translation in general and different understandings towards the function and mechanism of nonsense poems in particular. Translators need to analyze fully the stylistic features of the original text and understand the perspectives of the original author to achieve the “fusion of horizons” and thus to make their translation functionally equivalent to the original.

Inner posture as aspect of global meaning in healthcare: a conceptual analysis.

Based on our empirical research on global meaning in people with spinal cord injury and people with stroke, we formulated 'inner posture' as a concept in rehabilitation. Inner posture, as we concluded from our empirical data, refers to the way in which people bear what cannot be changed. It helps them to live with their injury. Considering that much has already been written about meaning from a variety of disciplines, the question arises whether the concept of inner posture adds something new to the existing literature, or is just another name for a phenomenon that has already been described before in different terms. In this paper, we aim to investigate this and to clarify our conceptualization, by comparing the concept of inner posture with influential concepts in healthcare literature which seem to be more or less related. In the work of Puchalski regarding spirituality, Pargament regarding religion, Eliott regarding hope and Frankl regarding attitude, we found definitions and descriptions that seemed to come close to the phenomenon we refer to as inner posture.Because these concepts have various theoretical backgrounds, the comparison can help to better understand our concept of inner posture, through a process of dialogue between traditions, following Gadamer's notion of dialogue as fusion of horizons of understanding. We conclude that inner posture differs from the other concepts in several ways. Some of these differences are more fundamental, other are partial. This suggests that we identified a new perspective on a phenomenon partially described earlier. The comparison also inspired us to slightly adjust our definition and to formulate new research questions.

Marx and Nietzsche’s Critique of Religion: Reflections on the Rise of Secularism

This article discusses Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche’s critique of religion and its relevance to the rise of secularism. Marx reduced religion to the realm of the social, material and ideological. Nietzsche, on the other hand, provided historical and psychological explanations of religion. These discourses about religion shattered the spiritual and metaphysical foundation of religion as well as of religious truths. The ideas of Marx and Nietzsche contributed a lot to secularism that placed religion to the private sphere and recognized that all religions are equal.
 References
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Geoengineering and sustainability

ABSTRACTGeoengineering is regarded by advocates as a creative and responsible technological option in the face of a climate emergency. Critics often see it as a hubristic attempt to play God, with disastrous consequences for the planet and humanity. These antipodal perspectives are represented by the ideal types of Prometheans and Gaians. Prometheans and Gaians typically talk past each other. The geoengineering debate can be made more fruitful by well articulating their respective positions and subsequently situating them in the discourse of sustainability. A sustainability orientation does not answer the troubling question whether geoengineering should be developed and deployed. But it can foster a ‘fusion of horizons’ between Prometheans and Gaians, providing common ground in an otherwise polarized debate and making a more productive dialogue possible.

On the Spirit of “Dialogue” in Literary Criticism

Today’s literary criticism has reached a deadlock between dogmatic theory criticism and theory of immanence criticism, and lacks a spirit of “dialogue”. This kind of “dialogue” is not to obliterate the discourse right of other literature, but a kind of “harmony but difference”, which is the balance of subjectivity. It is not the rigid binding of the local experience that is cut one-sidedly by western experience, but a kind of “not holding a corner”, which is explained in two directions and equally. It is not the stiff patchwork of various theoretical discourses, but the fusion of horizons based on inherent logic and identity.

Translation for and in Performance: Fusion of Horizons of Hebrew psalmist and Zulu Translator-Performer in the Zulu "Performance Arena"

This empirical study explores whether indigenous Zulu praise-poetry can inform the translation of biblical praise-psalms. Zulu youth (“poetry fans”) were invited to learn about Hebrew and Zulu poetics as well as the process of Bible translation. Then they made their own translations and performances of biblical praise-psalms, following the Literary-rhetorical approach of Ernst Wendland. The results show a strong Zulu imprint from the source to the receptor text, although the original message is retained along with some of the poetic features. The literary and rhetorical power of the Hebrew is transformed into images and thought patterns that come alive to the Zulu mind while still being acceptable (to them) in terms of biblical accuracy. The performances of the translated texts (using rap, song, or spoken poetry) utilise prosody to deliver the message, thus requiring some adjustment to the texts. The audience enters into the experience, impacting the performers. Thus, there are four “voices” apparent: those of the original author, the Zulu translator, the Zulu performer, and the audience. A rich texture of cultural beauty emerges as the Hebrew and Zulu horizons merge in a panorama of literary beauty and rhetorical power.

Hak Kebebasan Beragama: Analisis Hadis Perang Perspektif Hermeneutika Gadamer

This article talks about the right to freedom of religion in Islam, especially the right to freedom of religion expressed in the hadith nabawi. The hadith studied in this paper is a hadith of war, a hadith that seems to contain imperative and provocative messages for Muslims to fight against people until they declare the creed. There are many studies that examine religious freedom in Islam, only those studies are more general and do not specifically address specific hadiths. In general, this paper seeks to answer the question of how the hadith nabawi views religious freedom? And how to understand +the hadith of war, a hadith that seems to call for war in spreading Islam? To answer that question, the author will examine the hadith of war with the help of Hans-Georg Gadamer's hermeneutic approach which includes Historically Effected Consciousness, Pre-understanding, Fusion of Horizons, and Application. The use of this hermeneutical approach as an effort to manifest integration and interconnection of general and religious scholarship. Because science is a light that there is no dichotomy in the middle. With the use of this hermeneutical approach the author wishes to avoid as much as possible from the hole of objectivity of understanding.

Dialogue-Teaching: Problem-Based Learning and Fusion of Horizons

Dialogue-teaching is the process of the mutual understanding and self-understanding between teachers and students, which is a continuous cycle process, based on meaningful problems. The result is not the teacher's default answer or standard answer, or the understanding of the teacher as the dominant or the only understand imposed on students, but the fusion of horizons between teachers and students, forming a new understanding.

Gadamer and Pannenberg

Theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg, in his response to Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Wahrheit Und Methode, challenged his hermeneutics by noting the following two things. First, Gadamer discusses the “speculative element” of language, emphasizing “the infinity of what is not said” behind words, and in doing so, according to Pannenberg, disregards the “statement” (Aussage) as a form of language, which enables a sentence to unequivocally designate and describe an objective state of affairs. Although this criticism itself is valid, this is not a problem of “either/ or”. The two aspects of language they put forward should be in a reciprocal relationship. Second, Pannenberg argued that Gadamer’s hermeneutics and his concept of a “fusion of horizons” necessarily merge into Pannenberg’s own theological program, namely universal history. Being convinced that history should always include the horizon of the future, this philosopher could not agree to the theologian’s program, perhaps because it presupposes the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as an objective historical fact.

Main Elements of H.-G. Gadamer’s Communication Hermeneutics

This study explores the communication articulations of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s hermeneutics. The research method that was used is a mix between the meta-analytic method, comparative method and hermeneutic method. It starts from the assumption that in order to understand the communication universe, this has to be judged in relation with some pre-determined axes. The corpus of analysis is hermeneutical work of Gadamer. We prove that, founder of the philosophical hermeneutics, Gadamer is also one of the founders of communication hermeneutics. The thetic articulation radiography of the Gadamerian work highlights that activities of hermeneutics inevitably occur within communication; communication includes strong interpretive-hermeneutic flows. Gadamer considers the interpretation as an intrinsic process of communication: no communication can exist without interpretation. The work reveals as main elements of Gadamerian hermeneutic conception of communication: universality of interpretation (of reason, language and understanding), hermeneutical situation (addressing, fusion of horizons), the principle and the canon of interpretation.

Parallel convergences: thinking with biesta about philosophy and education

In this paper the question of the kind of dialogue that is possible between P4wC and Gert Biesta’s educational thinking is explored. The assumption – based also upon a reflection about the style of argumentation of Biesta when he addresses P4wC – is that a dialogue is possible, despite the misgivings that he manifests about how P4wC could end up merely turning into a broadened form of education for critical thinking. In order to investigate how this dialogue could look like, this response engages with what can represent a major bone of contention, namely the intimate bond between philosophy and education, which is pivotal in the P4wC project and which, instead, Biesta seems to problematise, spotting in it the perpetuation of a kind of “mentalisation” plaguing much of the Western educational and philosophical tradition. After construing this radical challenge as a Levinasian move, the paper endeavours to show how P4wC can be taught by it. In particular, it is argued that Biesta’s concerns can help us to rediscover a specific view of what philosophising-together as sumphilosophein (to adopt an Aristotelian notion) may mean and to look at the community of philosophical inquiry as the site of the ‘polemic commonality of philosophy and education.’ While recognizing the points of contact and (possible) encounter with Biesta’s ideas, the paper excludes any ‘fusion of horizons’ and proposes, instead, two other metaphors to capture the kind of dialogue which can go on.

Habermas and Taylor on Religious Reasoning in a Liberal Democracy

This article compares Habermas’s and Taylor’s approach to the role of religious language in a liberal democracy. It shows that the difference in their approach is not simply in their theories of religious language. The contrast lies deeper, in their incompatible moral theories: Habermas’s universal discourse ethics vs Taylor’s communitarian substantive ethics. I also explore William Rehg’s defence of discourse ethics by conceding that it is based on a metavalue of rational consensus. However, I argue that Habermas’s and Rehg’s discourse ethics and translation proviso are untenable. While Taylor rightly argues that there is no reason to exclude religious reason from the formal political sphere, his proposed fusion of horizons to generate a new hybrid framework is also problematic. I suggest that Taylor’s historical hermeneutics should be extended to include the narrative approach to ethical deliberation as conducive to mutual experiential understanding, and hence to achieving a fusion of horizons of the diverse worlds of citizens in a liberal democracy.

Negotiating meaning – the experience of community aged care

PurposeA framework for achieving what Heidegger referred to as a “fusion of horizons” of understanding, was developed during a study into the experience of a group of older adults receiving care. The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approachThe interpretive hermeneutic phenomenological methodology provided strategies for enabling a researcher to shift his or her understanding to be closer to that of the older adult receiving care, to better understand the experience of receiving care from the perspective of a recipient. Older adults participated in research exploring their everyday lived experiences, and contributed to the researcher’s understanding of the personal impact of care.FindingsThe older adults in this study perceived care in essentially relational terms, and raised the importance of maintaining personal autonomy and relationships as central to maintain meaning in daily life. This framework for successfully achieving a “fusion of horizons” during research is discussed and proposed as a potential strategy for also supporting active participation by adults in their own care provision.Originality/valueThis strategy might be used as a way of enhancing the engagement, safety and satisfaction of older adults, thereby also assisting to protect them from potentially negative influences of power differentials impacting on their care experience.

Kruh sociologické racionality: pozice sociologa v hermeneutické perspektivě

The aim of the article is to apply the concept of the hermeneutical circle to the position of a sociologist. The hermeneutical problem in sociology is exemplified by research into social action that examines how sociological understanding captures meanings attributed to the action by the actors themselves. Although several distinguished theorists have already introduced the idea of hermeneutics into sociology, none of them pursued the topic of the hermeneutical circle in detail. This article applies the hermeneutical circle to sociology through the concepts of 'pre-understanding' and the 'fusion of horizons'. The analysis results in the acknowledgement of epistemological pluralism in sociology and leads to the conclusion that the justification of truth in sociology cannot be simply a matter of correspondence-based verification, but must involve a form of decision-making about true knowledge within an intersubjective sociological rationality.

Философия истории в аналитической традиции

The aim of the article is, according to the author, to present history of philosophy (and philoso-phy of history) in terms of the British analytical tradition. Rejection of metahistorical purpose accounts for the importance of transdisciplinary analysis in the effort to make sense of historicism; thus, inner “duality” of historiography becomes vital for combining individual and “objective” sides of research. Hence, the author’s interest in such topics as the hermeneutic “fusion of horizons”, Nietzsche-Weberian perspectivism and the latest interpretations of both (by Q. Skinner, A. Ayer, R. Koselleck, R. Rorty et al.). These and other methodological means have the purport of making room for multiple approaches, which reveal both the creative potential of the analytical tradition and its problematic sides. (Less)

Horizontverschmelzung, Inkommensurabilität und sprachliche Bilder

AbstractHow is it possible to achieve intercultural communication in such away that both Ethnocentrism and Relativism are avoided? The paper explores Charles Taylor’s proposal that what is needed is a language of perspicuous contrast. In an attempt to spell out what such a language would involve, it discusses two pertinent metaphors, the fusion of horizons (Gadamer) and the relation of incommensurability (Kuhn/Feyerabend). It argues that the first is an overly optimistic, and the second an unnecessarily pessimistic way of stating the problem: Horizons set by different linguistic means often cannot be fused, and the incompatibility of scientific theories has no bearing for natural languages.What then are the linguistic procedures the working of which would explain the impression that even in language there are cases of incommensurability? This feature of language should also be able to explain the deep and potentially violent character of intercultural disagreements.For an answer the paper turns to Wittgenstein’s observations about pictorial uses of language and their role in our respective languages of self-understanding. As religious languages testify, such ways of speaking (about a Creation, a Last Judgement, about multiple rebirths, etc.) are acquired in early childhood and are therefore formative for building an identity. Additionally, such pictorial expressions cannot be fused to form one single coherent picture. Building on Wittgenstein’s observations about the possibility of freeing ourselves from pictures that are holding us captive, it is proposed that the ability to move freely between pictures is the competence that Taylor meant to capture with his phrase of a language of perspicuous contrast.

Fusing the Horizons, or Why Context Matters

In a recent JMA article (JMA 28.2, December 2015), Robin Osborne argued that Mediterranean archaeology places too much emphasis on fieldwork and too little on museum study. In doing so he has set up an antithesis between two kinds of archaeological practice: the former ‘in the field’, undertaken chiefly by specialists in prehistory, and the latter in the museum, undertaken principally by Classical archaeologists who are also experts in the traditional subjects of sculpture and vase painting. I argue that this antithesis is at best misleading, and a poor guide to how best to turn material evidence into historical knowledge. These issues are explored in relation to a set of case studies where recent survey and fieldwork have shed light on old ‘museum’ material, and where a reappraisal of that material has in turn affected research design in the field as well as historical interpretation. This study concentrates on the results of a number of fieldwork projects (both excavation and survey) covering Archaic and Classical material in eastern Crete, with a particular focus on first on pithoi (storage jars) found in the excavation of houses and then terracotta plaques from various sanctuary deposits. New fieldwork, conducted to modern standards, when combined with a reappraisal of older ‘museum’ material can, when conducted using a range of both new and traditional methods, yield new insights. This combination can offer a true ‘fusion of horizons’, in Gadamer’s (1975) sense.

Topoiesis de la recepción literaria

ABSTRACTThis article proposes a particular notion about “topoiesis,” focusing on the text reception point of view. Initially, it establishes a theoretical framework using useful concepts from hermeneutics and post-structuralism, to later discuss the real existence of a dialogue or a “fusion of horizons” in which a “sense of space” of a text would be blended in the meeting point between textuality and the reader. Finally, through this space we propose a categorization of the different types of “topoiesis” of literary reception, establishing correspondences with the concept of “enunciative instances” in the text space, detailed in another article.

Deliberation, Difference and Democratic Practice in Malawi

Since the introduction of multiparty politics in Malawi in 1994, grassroots communities have been engaged in dialogue on issues affecting democratic and national development processes in the country. This paper employs Martin Heidegger’s hermeneutics and James Paul Gee’s discourse analysis to examine community views regarding public deliberation as a form of political participation in Malawi. Heideggerian hermeneutics provides a foundation for Hans-Gorg Gadamer’s principles of philosophical hermeneutics that are limited to historicism, non-authorial intention, and the fusion of horizons. This study adopted Heideggarian phenomenology of Dasein (“being there”) as an interpretive framework to analyze interview text. This paper argues that the main issue for the grassroots communities in Malawi goes beyond democratic participation. Central to the interpretation of the communal dialogue is an understanding of the socio-cultural, economic and political atmosphere within which the Malawian grassroots social actors perform. As a way of understanding how citizens at the grassroots frame democratic participation in a volatile atmosphere, a study was conducted involving 30 citizens ranging from local villagers to government officials in select local councils in Malawi. This paper documents the analysis of citizen sentiments regarding some democratization problems facing local councils and their solutions. The study was guided by three main research questions: 1) What does civic participation mean for the citizens? 2) How do the citizens define social problems? 3) What needed to be done to facilitate effective participation by citizens?

The role of Philosophical Hermeneutics in contributing to an understanding of physiotherapy practice: a reflexive illustration

This paper provides an overview of Philosophical Hermeneutics based on the work of German philosopher Hans Georg Gadamer. The concepts of the ‘hermeneutic circle’ as a vehicle for interpretation, management of the researcher's pre-understandings (prejudices), and the ‘fusion of horizons’ are introduced and illustrated by examples from the first author's research, before considering how rigour can be achieved in this type of research. The actual research study which aimed to explore how shared decision making and patient partnership are addressed by physiotherapists in the process of exercise prescription for patients with low back pain (LBP) is not the focus of this paper. However short descriptions of the study are used to explore issues surrounding a hermeneutic inquiry.For physiotherapists interested in research or considering undertaking an interpretive phenomenological inquiry, this theoretical discussion paper explores how Gadamer's philosophy offers a credible framework for undertaking such research.