From Application to Appropriation in the Gadamerian Hermeneutics in the ‎Hermeneutics of Ricoeur based on Mystical Texts

Gadamer and Ricoeur are prominent figures of philosophical hermeneutics. Despite the similarities observed in their hermeneutic system, they have significant differences, too. These include ‘application’ in Gadamer’s view and ‘appropriation’ in Ricoeur's thought. During the process of understanding, Gadamer adds a third pillar called the ‘application’ to the two elements of ‘understanding’ and ‘interpretation’. In fact, ‘application’ is a function of the central principle of philosophical hermeneutics, according to which understanding is always based on a temporal, historical, and concrete situation. However, ‘appropriation’ in Ricoeur’s theory of the Hermeneutic Arc is placed after the first and second stages (i.e. explanation and understanding). The stage of ‘explanation’ is related to the study of the verbal structure of the text while the stage of ‘understanding’ is related to the semantic depth of the text and is done with the aim of reaching the intention of the author (the implied author). However,the ultimate goal of interpretation is appropriation, that is, the interpreter takes the text from the author’s possession and the ground of its creation and acquires a new understanding of himself by taking a subjective view and de-contextualizing the text from the temporal and historical situation, and by incorporating his own expectations, likes, and prejudices. Among mystical texts, including poetry and prose, the objective realization of these two interpretive approaches in practice can be observed in texts such as Mathnavi Manavi, Kashf al-Asrar, Letters of Ayn al-Quzat, etc. In this research, a descriptive-comparative method is used to theoretically explain and apply the principles of ‘application’ and ‘appropriation’ in some mystical texts