2 - Hermeneutics and Nature

Summary

Pointing to recent work in the history of science, which demonstrates the influence of the methods of human sciences on the natural sciences in the Renaissance and the Early Modern period, I argue that a similar, and even more profound influence, can be seen in the ways in which the development of modern hermeneutics resulted in the development of dynamic geography in the late eighteenth century. I begin by showing that it was through the liberalization of natural science in the work of Buffon and Diderot that the notion of interpretation became essential for the study of nature. I go on to demonstrate that it was Herder, the founder of modern hermeneutics, who not only elaborated on this notion of interpretation, but also provided the first comprehensive account of the methodology of interpretation, applying it not only to the study of texts and historical figures, but also to the study of nature. Through his hermeneutic practice, Herder paved the way for a new conception of a natural environment, or what he called a “world” or a “circle.” The various elements that constitute this world, Herder argued, must be regarded in the same way that we regard an author in his or her historical context, i.e., as both effected by it and effecting it. This dynamic conception of the natural world led, in turn, to the founding of modern geography.