Product Review

Philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900-2002) was at the centre of some of the century's darkest, most complex historical events, for he chose to remain in his native Germany in the 1930s, neither supporting Hitler nor actively opposing him, but negotiating instead an "unpolitical" position that allowed him to continue his philosophical work. In this work Jean Grondin offers an appraisal of Gadamer's life and achievement. Drawing on interviews with Gadamer and his contemporaries, Gadamer's personal correspondence and archival research, Grondin traces Gadamer's life as an academician and the development of his ideas, placing them in the context of his times. He sheds light on the genesis and accomplishment of Gadamer's major opus, "Truth and Method", the bible of modern-day hermeneutics. He also addresses the question of Gadamer's attitude and actions amid the catastrophe of Nazi Germany, seeking to paint a balanced portrait of a scholar who tried to preserve German culture and tradition in the face of an invasive menace.