The problem of understanding in hermeneutic philosophy and its significance for the study of moral theory

In modern philosophy subjectivity and intentionality are no longer considered as something primary, but as a function of life and language system forms. In the theory of knowledge there is a provision that all our knowledge is essentially due to history and culture. These changes in ontology and the theory of knowledge led to the emergence of a new type of social theory, which was called "contemporary critical theory''. One of the major challenges facing the contemporary critical theory can be formulated in the form of the following question: Is the concept of the essential situational character of any thought compatible to the universalist claims that are inherent to theory? The problem situation we face when answering this question is related to the fact that we can no longer rely on the traditional model of an autonomous subject, and appeal to the instance of transcendental subjectivity. In this context, there is a need in identification of a new ontology as a foundation in the justification of social cognition. In this article, we will consider solutions to the problem of interpretation and understanding that are offered in contemporary philosophy. In the methodology of social cognition, there are three options to solve the problem of understanding that have arisen in the context of overcoming the classical "model of the subject''. These positions are denoted as "herme-neutic objectivism", "radical hermeneutics" and "hermeneutic reconstruction". As an illustration of the position of "hermeneutic objectivism", we look at the concept of interpretation proposed by Emilio Betti. An illustration of the position of "radical hermeneutics" is the theory of interpretation and understanding developed in the writings of Hans-Georg Gadamer. As an illustration of the position of "her-meneutic reconstruction" we consider the theory of understanding developed in the works of Jurgen Habermas. According to Betty, objectivity is associated with an adequate understanding of the meaning of the text reconstruction, and someone's identity along with it. This view is based on the assumption of the existence of self-identical meaning of the text, as well as the presentation of the substantial nature of subjectivity, its independence from the historical context in which interpretation occurs. In our view, the path of such a solution is closed, after the criticism of the "model of consciousness" by representatives of post-metaphysical philosophy. From the point of view of Gadamer, any interpretation and understanding are historical. These processes are inscribed in the sociocultural context, the impact of which can not be overcome. Understanding and interpretation are a kind of social practices associated with the transmission of cultural meanings in the present. From the point of view of formal pragmatics of understanding, we can then say that we know what makes some meaningful manifestation acceptable, that is, when we know under what conditions a claim associated with this semantic expression is acceptable to the listener.

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