Merging Horizons: Possibilities of Immediate Understanding

Abstract

From the philosophical hermeneutics Gadamer developed in his main work Truth and Method an ontological change was formulated: Being that can be understood is language. He talks about a fusion of horizons if understanding of texts or traditions is to succeed. First, this article examines Gadamer’s concept of understanding by contrasting it with Derrida’s deconstruction: How can we be sure that we really understand each other and not merely ourselves? Second, going beyond Gadamer, moments of social life are to be demonstrated where understanding succeeds immediately. The example of laughter clarifies that words are not the ultimate boarder of language. There are moments showing us a connection between each other in an almost immediate way. They expand the possibilities of our language for a successful understanding: Leaving room for them to happen increases the chance of understanding – in the scientific context of psychoanalysis and philosophy as well as in everyday communication.