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The Interpretative Nature of Knowledge: Hermeneutics and Sensory Order

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Cognitive Autonomy and Methodological Individualism

Part of the book series: Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics ((SAPERE,volume 22))

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Abstract

The primary intention of this book is to investigate the non-atomistic variant of methodological individualism which, following Friedrich Hayek, I shall in future call “methodological individualism”. According to methodological individualism, social phenomena are emergent properties deriving, largely unintentionally, from the interactions between autonomous individuals – autonomous in the sense that they are not controlled by environmental factors, but are self-determined (see Laurent 1994).

This chapter draws on my article “Hayek and the Hermeneutics of Mind”, Social Science Information, 2015, Vol. 54 (2): 177–191.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    It is significant that Albert, who previously strongly criticized Antiseri’s position, finally ended up acknowledging the existence of undeniable similarities between Gadamer’s and Popper’s perspectives (see Albert and Antiseri 2002). See also Ricoeur (2007), pp. 159–160.

  2. 2.

    Polylogism means that collective beliefs are socio-culturally determined; irrationalism means denying that these beliefs are endorsed by individuals for rational reasons.

  3. 3.

    It should be noted that, though Croce’s ideas on this point are compatible with Gadamer’s and Popper’s theory of objective truth, his idealistic pretense to know the direction of history is not. The fact that Popper (1957) calls this pretense “historicism” and strongly criticizes it must not lead to misunderstandings. As intended by Popper, “historicism”, understood as an epistemological mistake, has nothing to do with Gadamer’s notion of the historicity of knowledge of the past.

  4. 4.

    In spite of the terminological ambiguity, Hayek’s criticism of objectivism must not be misunderstood: it was a criticism of specific theories of action and has nothing to do with the concept of objectivity as intended by Popper’s anti-skeptical epistemology. As we stated earlier, Hayek shares Popper’s standpoint on postmodernism.

  5. 5.

    These laws must not be probabilistic, but necessary (see Chap. 6).

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  1. ESCP Europe Paris, Paris, France

    Francesco Di Iorio

  2. LUISS University, Rome, Italy

    Francesco Di Iorio

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Di Iorio, F. (2015). The Interpretative Nature of Knowledge: Hermeneutics and Sensory Order. In: Cognitive Autonomy and Methodological Individualism. Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics, vol 22. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19512-4_2

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