A Plea For Economic Hermeneutics

Starting from Schleiermacher’s theories, who speaks about “special Hermeneutics” as foundation for Universal Hermeneutics, we consider that Economics, in order to progress, must assimilate the term of Economic Hermeneutics as a general theory of the interpretation rules, a meditation on the interpretation activity, with accents on the normative character (Schleiermacher), but also on the phenomenological aspect (Heidegger, Ricoeur, etc). Our scientific approach is intended as a plea for the interpretation of the economic phenomena and processes from an objective–and actual - historical perspective, intransitive, transitive, dogmatic, synchronic and diachronic one. We believe that the foundation of an economic hermeneutical approach can be built on what the Stoics called signification (semeiotike) to which we may add Semantics and Logical Pragmatics. By accepting Semiotics as a foundation for Economic Hermeneutics, we implicitly ought to accept its operational instruments: sign, symbol, symbolic language, semantic trees etc. A modern interpretation theory in economy which we call Economic Hermeneutics, in opposition to the classical theories of Heidegger, Schleiermacher or Gadamer, must, we think, also take over the perspective of Ilya Prigogine’s dissipative structures. This is why we shall operate with terms such as: chance, necessity, determinism, nondeterminism, option, unexpected, foresight, visioning. We see it as a pioneering approach in the economic research. Many issues are for us still in the primary research stage and we would regard it as an achievement if others, starting from some of our hypotheses, could develop a better theory.