A Study on the Role of Understanding Within the Conjunction of Phenomenology and Hermeneutics in Heidegger and Ricoeur' s Thought

Hermeneutical phenomenology is a philosophical approach which is emerged from the compound of two important attitudes in the continental philosophy. Heidegger (1889-1976), who is considered as a founder of hermeneutical phenomenology, makes a conjunction between these two attitudes innovatively. This task is influenced by Husserl's phenomenological requirements concerning the sense and interpretation and his known slogan, toward the things itself. After Heidegger, Ricoeur (1913-2005) who is influenced by the concept of epoche in Husserl's phenomenology, makes such a conjunction in an innovative way. The difference between their views is that Heidegger, in Ricoeur's statement, follows the short route taken for ontological analysis of dasein, and Ricoeur proposes a long detour, starting with semantic considerations within the analysis of symbolic expressions of the human being. The basic thesis for present research is to show that, despite of different approaches in Heidegger and Ricoeur's thought toward this subject, in both views ''understanding'' can be considered as one of the most important requirements of the possibility of this connection. Their common viewpoint about ''understanding'' could be considered as a good reason for this claim. The importance of proving this thesis is that we can then by scrutinizing all the implications of understanding, find a vast area of possibilities in this conjunction that open lots of horizons in hermeneutics, epistemology, ontology and phenomenology which help us toward the way of truth.