A Review of G.G.Shpet’s Hermeneutic-Phenomenology

Based on the analysis of the philosophical source and the epistemological roots of G.G.Shpet’s hermeneutic-phenomenology,this article states that G.G.Shpet,as an important Russian representative of the turn“from ontology to epistemology”in the philosophy of language,not only inherited Husserlian phenomenology,but also combined phenomenology and hermeneutics together as to develop a unique form of hermeneutic-phenomenology,which is based on Husserl’s phenomenology,deeply influenced by Dilthey’s hermeneutics,and inherited Humboldt’s philosophy of language to some extend as well.Besides,the author points out that some of G.G.Shpet’s thoughts were also inherited from Slavophile and Moscow school of metaphysics.

The Economic Context of Our Time:A Diagnosis in the Light of Transformative Ethics

The following contribution is the attempt to touch upon some fundamental questions for a reliable ethical diagnosis of what can be called the economic context of our epoch.For this purpose,we will consider a well-known concept within the medieval economics in light of its modern reappropriation against the backdrop of transformative ethics:the meant concept is usury;the meant reappropriation is that of Ezra Pound.For reasons of space,the single steps will merely hint at ethical questions that require a much more careful investigation.Within these limits,the essay will therefore analyze certain traits of our current economic context while reconsidering its ethical dimension in the light of the concept of usury.The framework within which this analysis will be conducted is that of transformative ethics.

The Transition from Hospital to Home:Older People’s Experiences

The amount of older patients who are discharged from hospitals while continuing to need care is increasing in Norway. The transition between different care services has the potential for high rates of medication errors, incomplete or inaccurate information transfer, and lack of appropriate follow-up care. Thus, insight into the transition process is vital to understanding the complexity and vulnerability the patients are exposed to in this process. The aim of this phenomenological hermeneutic study was to describe and illuminate the lived experiences of older home residents during the transitions from hospital to home. Data were collected through narrative interviews, and an interpretation analysis based on a method developed by Lindseth and Norberg was conducted. Two themes and four subthemes, closely related to each other emerged from the structural analysis of the text: The theme “Relating to different systems of care” with the two subthemes “feeling disregarded” and “being humble”;and the theme “Adapting to life conditions” with the two subthemes “feeling vulnerable” and “coping with alterations”. The older people miss being seen as human beings as well as patients during the transition process. Despite the lack of information and participation in the transition process, they were grateful and humble to the systems of care they were a part of. This, however, also encompassed rejections of own needs. It is urgent that health care professionals focus on the older person’s individual needs and preferences. This means that care must be considered from the perspectives of the older person’s biographical as well as medical history, and the complexity of the situation.

Heidegger on the Struggle for Belongingness and Being at Home

In 1840, Alexis de Tocqueville coined the term ＂individualism＂ to refer to the tendency for Americans to withdraw into their own desires and interests, thus weakening and diminishing the ＂habits of the heart＂ that bind a generation to the customs of their forebears and contemporaries. A problem, though, is that modem individualism undermines the very ideals--i.e, autonomy, equality, and freedom--that motivated it in the first place. Understood as a way of life, liberal individualism is permeated by alienation, estrangement, and thoughtless patterns of conformism. In what follows, I hope to show that hermeneutic phenomenology as developed by Martin Heidegger marks an important break from the modem liberal individualistic outlook. The point is to undercut the contrived interpretations of our current historical tradition in order to demonstrate that belonging to and sharing in the struggles of a generation are conditions for being human at all. This critique does not provide a panoptic or definitive account of the basis of a genuine community, but does give us a richer sense of place and purpose, beyond even what the current polis/political community designates （though it certainly includes it）.