IIH
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HERMENEUTICS
INSTITUT INTERNATIONAL D'HERMÉNEUTIQUE
The International Institute for Hermeneutics (IIH) is an autonomous, international, and interdisciplinary research institute with connections to dozens of universities around the world through an international advisory board and a network of associates. The IIH was founded in 2001 to foster and articulate a general hermeneutics, a task demanding an intensive interdisciplinary collaboration on a level that does not yet exist in the contemporary university. We have a particular concentration in philosophy, religious studies, and comparative literature. However, the field of hermeneutics now embraces all of the humanities and social sciences; as Gianni Vattimo puts it, this is the “age of interpretation.” We concentrate on the concrete activity of interpreting texts, facilitating research in hermeneutics, and assisting universities and educational institutions in including hermeneutical issues in their pedagogy. Although English is our primary language, the IIH is a house of language, as such we intentionally operate in several languages. Our goal is to overcome the divisions that have encumbered academic conversation; divisions between faculties, disciplines, cultures, languages, and religious traditions.
— Andrzej Wierciński, IIH President
Inaugural Support
May I congratulate you on founding the International Institute for Hermeneutics. Institutions such as yours are essential if we are to shelter the never ending task of interpretation. I am happy to join you as an honorary member of your International Advisory Board. The mission of the IIH meets with my wholehearted support. I understand your vision of a general hermeneutics that embraces the human, social, and natural sciences as a welcome Wirkungsgeschichte of my own work. I wish the IIH every success with continuing the exploration into the phenomenon of understanding and the interpretation of what has been understood.
— Hans-Georg Gadamer to Andrzej Wierciński
Je reçois avec beaucoup de joie et de gratitude le volume de la "série herméneutique" que vous avez rassemblé et édité. Le titre dit avec exactitude la tension qui traverse toute mon oeuvre: entre soupçon et sympathie. Cette tension fait écho avec une autre qui m'est également chère, entre la critique et la conviction. Je suis conscient de la fragilité des équilibres qui à la fois menacent l'unité de mon entreprise, et entretiennent le dynamisme qui me pousse d'une oeuvre à l'autre. Je suis reconnaissant à la pléiade d'auteurs que vous avez sollicités. La totalité de mon oeuvre est ainsi couverte et le ton qui domine chez les auteurs eux mêmes se situe ...
"entre la sympathie et le soupçon"!
— Paul Ricoeur to Andrzej Wierciński
President's Welcome
With a profound sense of personal satisfaction I welcome all the achievements of the IIH and our respective members individually. We recollect proudly the IIH history and look into the hermeneutic horizon in order to embrace our future with hope and anticipation. There is so much, that calls for understanding.
To all our guests and IIH members I extend my personal greeting and invitation to contribute to our web space. Sharing our life experience, knowledge, and hermeneutic insights is the best contribution to the world we live in. Our answer to present international crises is the globalization of solidarity. I encourage you actively to involve yourself in our activities, and welcome your questions, comments, concerns, and creative ideas.
On behalf of the IIH and in concert with all our members, I would like to express our profound gratitude for your invaluable support of the IIH and very best wishes.