Pragmatic Theory of the Life-World and Hermeneutics of the Social Sciences

Abstract

In contemporary social theory, social reality is generally conceived as a meaningful construction. Hence, despite the criticism exercised in Derrida’s deconstruction and in postmodern thought in general, hermeneutics represents an indispensable methodological tool in the social sciences since it aims at basic constitutive processes of society. Relying on the Schutzian constitutive theory of the life-world, this paper deals with the main steps of this constitution, reveals their pragmatic motivation, and elaborates on the methodological consequences for hermeneutic practices in the social sciences.