Holism without Skepticism… Scepticism

BOHMAN, J.F. (1991) Holism without Skepticism: Contexualism and the Limits of Interpretation. In: D.R. HILEY, J.F. BOHMAN, and R. SHUSTERMAN (Eds.) The Interpretive Turn. Cornell University Press. pp129-154

“Even if such norms of ‘completeness’ or the evidence of ‘things themselves’ exist, circularity at least makes it indeterminate how they should be applied in any given case: ‘correct’ interpretations are not produced by some standardized method, algorithm, or semantic theory.” (p137)

Annotation:
The nature of interpretation as understood within a holistic and phenomenological perspective acknowledges that a ‘correct’ interpretation cannot be produced by functionalist or deterministic hard science, as science is not suited to the explaining how humans process and experience the world. From a functionalist and deterministic perspective the hermeneutic methods are viewed at best with scepticism and at worst academic hostility.