Abstract

The postulate of adequacy had been extensively questioned and deepened in the area of hermeneutics and interpretive social sciences. Some of the protagonists of this ongoing debate stress that the interpretation of human action has much in common with the interpretation of semiotic objects including texts and narratives. This debate goes back to a long tradition in the philosophy of human or social sciences. Here, considering recent exchanges in the fields of the history of ideas, rhetoric, and ethnography, we address basic epistemological and methodological issues about the interpretation of meaning and its adequacy. We argue that one must ascertain performativity on both sides of the meaning process: on the side of the semiotic object (speech acts, social rituals, texts, images…) and on the side of the interpreter (second-degree understanding, description, explanation…) We also argue that this theoretical discussion is more relevant and fruitful for the humanities and social sciences when it includes the question of writing strategies. In this way, it is possible to envision the practical moment of hermeneutic understanding, embracing its material, ethical, and political dimensions.