Axel Bühler et l'interprétation en herméneutique

La semaine prochaine, c'est le professeur Axel Bühler (Düsseldorf, Allemagne) que nous serons heureux d'entendre sur le thème suivant :

The testability
of Hermeneutical Hypotheses

Hypotheses of an important type within the interpretation of discourse and text deal with the intentions and beliefs guiding the production of discourse and text. Such hypotheses can explain various properties of the discourse or text to be interpreted. In my lecture, I examine how hypotheses of this knid can be subjected to empirical testing.

Hypotheses about authors' intentions and belief are singuler hypotheses about specific authors and their specific circumstances, as opposed to universal hypotheses. I proceed from general aspects of singular hypotheses and get more specific with every step.
I start with an abstract discussion of severe and, additionally, critical tests of singular hypotheses. then I talk about the testing of singular hypotheses regarding mental states such as intentions and beliefs. In the third part I look at some methods of testing hypotheses regarding authorial intentions. I conclude with the analysis of some objections against the possibility of testing hypotheses about authors' intentions and beliefs.