The Interpretive Turn: Philosophy, Science, Culture

Abstract

This wide-ranging and provocative book responds to a debate that is radically changing the relationships between the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Many now agree that foundationalism in philosophy and positivism in science have been overturned, and that philosophy, having found that its "linguistic turn" led to a dead end, must now take an "interpretive turn." In philosophy, the sciences, and such diverse fields as anthropology, law, and social history, the turn to interpretation has challenged many fundamental assumptions, forcing scholars to contest the status of knowledge claims. Are interpretations true? Is interpretation universal? How can interpretive claims be justified rationally? Fifteen new essays representing both preeminent thinkers in these debates and notable younger scholars here explore such questions. Individual essays address aspects of the relationship between the human and the natural sciences, epistemological and normative issues in interpretation, and key topics in a variety of disciplines