Dialog, Dialectic, Fusion of horizons

Gadamer regards understanding as a dialectical action brought about by the fusion of the horizon of the interpreter and horizon of the text. In contrast to the Enlightenment approach, the dialectical understanding is non-methodical and unpredictable. That is why Gadamer considers understanding as an event or accident. Accordingly, understanding is no longer the passive discovery of an object over a subject; it is the interaction of one subject with another during the process of dialog. Therefore, truth is not a pre-existing phenomenon, only discovered by the subject. Truth is created in dialog and through dialog. The structure of dialog is based on questions and answers. The interpreter embarks on asking questions about the text in order to solve his modern questions, making the text speak for itself. Rising out of and carrying tradition, the text questions the hermeneutic condition of the interpreter through its answers. The dialog leads to the opening of the text towards the interpreter and the opening of the interpreter towards the text. It ends in the fusion of horizons, elevating the interpreter to a wider understanding and horizon.