“Wo das nicht der Fall ist, wo etwa, wie im Absolutismus, der Wille des absoluten Herrschers über dem Gesetz steht, kann es keine Hermeneutik geben, ‘da ein Oberherr seine Worte auch wider den Regeln gemeiner Auslegung erklären kann’. (..) Die Aufgabe des Verstehens und Auslegens besteht eben nur dort, wo etwas so gesetzt ist, dass es als das Gesetzte unuafhebbar und verbindlich ist.” Hans-Georg Gadamer, Gesammelte Werke, Hermeutik 1, Wahrheit und Methode, JCB Mohr Tübingen 1990, p. 334 (the innerquote is from Walch).
(amateuristic English Translation: “Where this is not the case, where for instance, as in absolutism, the will of the absolute ruler stands above that of the law, there can be no hermeneutics, ‘because an overlord can explain his words also against the rules of common explanation’. (..) The mission of understanding and of explanation exists only there where something is set in such a way as to become, as law, both binding and unremovable.” (it is for me impossible to render the wordplay on setzen and Gesetz in English).”
Let’s see whether I can still do this. As I happen to be (still) reading Gadamer let me try to apply Gadamer to actual events. In an odd way, this may be the most fitting way to go about things. Anyway, I am annoyed. Not so much by absolute rulers as by those who want to rule based on what they understand as the absolute correctness of their position.
Yes, where I want to go is here: it seems to me that those who take pride in positioning themselves as being to far left of centre are basically just taking pride in being far better than the average (human being).
Quoughts 