PDU3701
ASSIGNMENT 3
DUE DATE: JULY 2026
, PDU3701 ASSIGNMENT 3 MEMO 2026
DUE JULY 2026
Question 1.1
a) Write a brief reaction (your thoughts, interpretation and understanding) on the
following:
a) Hermeneutics and truth
b) Hermeneutics and education
Hermeneutics approaches truth not as an objective, fixed entity that exists
independently of human beings, but as something that emerges through understanding
and interpretation. From a hermeneutic perspective, truth is always mediated by
language, symbols, history and culture. This means that human beings do not simply
“discover” truth in the way scientific rationalism suggests; instead, they interpret reality
within the context of their lived experience and community traditions (Higgs & Letseka,
2024).
Gadamer’s contribution is particularly important in this regard. In Truth and Method, he
argues that truth can be revealed through art, dialogue and tradition just as much as
through scientific inquiry. This challenges the dominance of scientific rationalism, which
often assumes that truth must be measurable, testable and objective. Hermeneutics, by
contrast, values meaning over measurement and acknowledges that different
interpretations can coexist without one necessarily being false (Gadamer, 1960).
ASSIGNMENT 3
DUE DATE: JULY 2026
, PDU3701 ASSIGNMENT 3 MEMO 2026
DUE JULY 2026
Question 1.1
a) Write a brief reaction (your thoughts, interpretation and understanding) on the
following:
a) Hermeneutics and truth
b) Hermeneutics and education
Hermeneutics approaches truth not as an objective, fixed entity that exists
independently of human beings, but as something that emerges through understanding
and interpretation. From a hermeneutic perspective, truth is always mediated by
language, symbols, history and culture. This means that human beings do not simply
“discover” truth in the way scientific rationalism suggests; instead, they interpret reality
within the context of their lived experience and community traditions (Higgs & Letseka,
2024).
Gadamer’s contribution is particularly important in this regard. In Truth and Method, he
argues that truth can be revealed through art, dialogue and tradition just as much as
through scientific inquiry. This challenges the dominance of scientific rationalism, which
often assumes that truth must be measurable, testable and objective. Hermeneutics, by
contrast, values meaning over measurement and acknowledges that different
interpretations can coexist without one necessarily being false (Gadamer, 1960).
