Exegesis

Definition

Exegesis is the critical interpretation and explanation of a text, particularly religious or philosophical texts. It involves a systematic analysis of the content, context, and meaning of a passage to uncover its original intended message and significance.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Exegesis is a crucial aspect of continental philosophy's challenge to Enlightenment theories, as it emphasizes the importance of understanding the historical and cultural context of a text.
2. Continental philosophers often employ exegetical methods to critically analyze and interpret philosophical texts, revealing hidden meanings and challenging traditional interpretations.
3. Exegesis can uncover biases, assumptions, and power dynamics embedded within a text, which is particularly important in the context of Enlightenment theories that claim to be objective and universal.
4. The use of exegesis in continental philosophy has led to a greater emphasis on the role of language, culture, and social context in shaping our understanding of the world.
5. Exegetical approaches in continental philosophy have also influenced the development of critical theory, which seeks to uncover and challenge the underlying ideological assumptions of dominant discourses.

Review Questions

• Explain how the practice of exegesis challenges Enlightenment theories of objectivity and universality.
  • The practice of exegesis, or the critical interpretation and explanation of texts, challenges Enlightenment theories of objectivity and universality by emphasizing the importance of historical, cultural, and social context in shaping the meaning and significance of a text. Exegesis reveals that texts are not neutral or universal, but are shaped by the biases, assumptions, and power dynamics of the time and place in which they were produced. By uncovering these hidden elements, exegesis undermines the Enlightenment's claims to objective, universal knowledge, and instead highlights the ways in which our understanding of the world is always mediated by language, culture, and social context.
• Describe how continental philosophers have employed exegetical methods to critically analyze philosophical texts.
  • Continental philosophers have often used exegetical methods to critically analyze and interpret philosophical texts, with the goal of revealing hidden meanings and challenging traditional interpretations. This approach involves a systematic analysis of the content, context, and significance of a passage, taking into account factors such as the author's historical and cultural background, the text's linguistic and rhetorical features, and the broader intellectual and social context in which it was produced. By employing exegetical techniques, continental philosophers have been able to uncover biases, assumptions, and power dynamics that are embedded within philosophical texts, and to use these insights to develop new and critical perspectives on the nature of knowledge, truth, and human experience.
• Evaluate the influence of exegetical approaches in continental philosophy on the development of critical theory.
  • The influence of exegetical approaches in continental philosophy on the development of critical theory is significant. By emphasizing the importance of understanding the historical, cultural, and social context of texts, exegesis has contributed to the critical theory's focus on uncovering and challenging the underlying ideological assumptions of dominant discourses. Critical theorists have drawn on the exegetical methods of continental philosophers to analyze and deconstruct the ways in which power, language, and culture shape our understanding of the world. This has led to the development of critical approaches that seek to expose and challenge the systemic inequalities and oppressive structures that are often hidden within seemingly neutral or objective forms of knowledge. The influence of exegesis in continental philosophy has thus been a crucial factor in the emergence of critical theory as a powerful tool for social and political transformation.

Related terms

Hermeneutics:

The theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical and other religious texts.

Textual Criticism: The study of the history and development of a text, with the goal of reconstructing the original or most authoritative version.

Phenomenology:

A philosophical approach that focuses on the study of consciousness and the structures of subjective experience.