Human understanding in dialogue: Gadamer's recovery of the genuine

Abstract

In this paper, the notion of the genuine as it relates to conversation is explored based on the work of H. G. Gadamer in his major work, Truth and Method (1989). The application of the genuine to human interaction and understanding in the context of qualitative research is examined. In addition, possible outcomes of the researcher's philosophical hermeneutic position, as exemplified through the use of the genuine conversation in her work, are discussed. Both the problem as well as the productivity of self-application and prejudice are addressed through the lens of the genuine conversation. We then illustrate the character of interviewing and interpretation of text as research practices that can be informed by Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics while resisting methodology as a necessary feature of research inquiry.