Reviews

The Fall of Interpretation,Philosophical Foundations for a Creational Hermeneutic by James K.A. Smith, James K.A. Smith

theologiaviatorum's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

4.0

This is a dangerous and difficult book. It is dangerous because he pushes against Modern epistemological optimism as well as Post-Modern pessimism. And it is difficult because he interacts with great (and technical) thinkers such as Martin Heidegger and Jacques Derrida. Smith shows his heart for the ecumenical project. The aim of the book is to get beyond the wars which divide us and create the "wild spaces of love" where charitable disagreement may take place. He begins by explaining two positions with which he disagrees before giving a more positive statement of how he views hermeneutics (the science of interpretation). First, there are those who believe that Man was created all good and later fell. This historical fall was a fall from "immediacy", where no interpretation took place because none was needed (we "just knew" the mind of God), to a world where interpretation is necessary. These thinkers believe that interpretation is not part of our creatureliness, but is a result of the Fall. Second, other thinkers believe that interpretation is inherent to our creatureliness and that interpretation is inherently violent. This is a sort of "fall" but it is not a historical one. This "fall" is an ontological one which we always already share in by nature of being finite creatures. Third, Smith departs from the first because he agrees with the second that interpretation is inherent in our creatureliness. Smith departs from the second, however, because he believes that interpretation is not necessarily violent (though after the Fall it was opened to the possibility of violence). The last section asks the question, "If everything we say/think is interpretation, how do we avoid relativism?" His answer is that the world as it is (in contrast to what we think about the world) is a thing which resists manipulation and therefore places some boundaries/controls on our hermeneutics. If this summary feels dense, the book is denser (at only 221 pages). Regardless, I recommend this book to every lapsed fundamentalist/sectarian who harbors hope for universal peace/cooperation amongst all who name the name of Christ.

adamrshields's review

4.0

Short Review: Book Review: The Fall of Interpretation: Philosophical Foundations for a Creational Hermeneutic by James KA Smith - an interesting book about what it means to be created as finite creatures and how that affects the way we consider interpretation. Primarily Smith is thinking about interpretation of scripture, but also interpretation of all other communication as well. This is a second edition of what was originally Smith's PhD dissertation, so it leans academic (for Smith that means continental philosophy), but still understandable if you are not a philosopher (as I am not.)

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/the-fall-of-interpretation/