Interpretować świat czy go zmieniać? O możliwych pożytkach z filologii dla życia
To Interpret the World or to Change It? On the Possible Usefulness of Philology for Life

Author(s): Katarzyna Szkaradnik
Subject(s): Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, Philology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: philology; hermeneutics; politicalness; emancipation; interpretation; social engagement
Summary/Abstract: Among the main dilemmas concerning the humanities, especially philology, there is alsothe choice between its autotelic value and social investment. The next issue is the primacyof either reading or theory, which sometimes treats literature instrumentally, focused onits own unmasking and emancipatory mission. In the present article, some controversiesrelated to the political aspects of being a philologist, usually contrasted with its supposedneutrality, are considered. The authoress emphasizes the inevitable position of the scholar,that is, adopting a definite perspective toward texts, which, however, he or she can andshould transcend. Referring interalia to the hermeneutical conceptions of Gadamerand Marquard, she points to the social – both critical and constructive – potential of reading and interpretation. In that project, which aims to reconcile the alteration of the world with its protection, philologists are entrusted with a particularly responsible task.

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