In contemporary philosophy, there exists a vigorous debate between those thinkers who advocate the need for a truth that exists outside of historical forces and those who hold that all understanding must be historical in its basis. My research is focused on deciphering this problem by providing a description of how understanding and interpretation occur. More specifically, I have proposed a project that explores how the philosophical writings of Friedrich Nietzsche can give some insight into this problem of understanding truth. I argue that Nietzsche develops a method of interpretation - a hermeneutics - that focuses on the manner in which expressions in words or actions are imbued with a meaning that can be understood by others. To help in proving this theory, I draw on the contemporary work of Paul Ricoeur, who sees Nietzsche as a kind of hermeneutic philosopher who attempts to find meaning's origin in previously hidden biological, instinctual, or economic forces. While this element is strong in Nietzsche's work, I attempt to draw from his writings a complementary approach that views meaning as the product of activities that aim toward a goal. I contend that both its origins and its goals must be considered if we are to give a coherent account of human interpretation and understanding and that Nietzsche provides this while remaining sensitive to concrete situations. Essentially, I am arguing that Nietzsche can help us mediate between dogmatic and relativist theories of understanding with his hermeneutic method and his account of the process of understanding.
","abstract_html":"<p>In contemporary philosophy, there exists a vigorous debate between those thinkers who advocate the need for a truth that exists outside of historical forces and those who hold that all understanding must be historical in its basis. My research is focused on deciphering this problem by providing a description of how understanding and interpretation occur. More specifically, I have proposed a project that explores how the philosophical writings of Friedrich Nietzsche can give some insight into this problem of understanding truth. I argue that Nietzsche develops a method of interpretation - a hermeneutics - that focuses on the manner in which expressions in words or actions are imbued with a meaning that can be understood by others. To help in proving this theory, I draw on the contemporary work of Paul Ricoeur, who sees Nietzsche as a kind of hermeneutic philosopher who attempts to find meaning's origin in previously hidden biological, instinctual, or economic forces. While this element is strong in Nietzsche's work, I attempt to draw from his writings a complementary approach that views meaning as the product of activities that aim toward a goal. I contend that both its origins and its goals must be considered if we are to give a coherent account of human interpretation and understanding and that Nietzsche provides this while remaining sensitive to concrete situations. Essentially, I am arguing that Nietzsche can help us mediate between dogmatic and relativist theories of understanding with his hermeneutic method and his account of the process of understanding.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["McGinnis, Darin Sean"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Philosophy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:55:16Z","subjects":["Genealogy","Hermeneutics","Nietzsche","Ricoeur","Philosophy"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/207","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["McGinnis, Darin Sean"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-03-31T17:09:01Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Genealogy","Hermeneutics","Nietzsche","Ricoeur","Philosophy"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/207"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In contemporary philosophy, there exists a vigorous debate between those thinkers who advocate the need for a truth that exists outside of historical forces and those who hold that all understanding must be historical in its basis. My research is focused on deciphering this problem by providing a description of how understanding and interpretation occur. More specifically, I have proposed a project that explores how the philosophical writings of Friedrich Nietzsche can give some insight into this problem of understanding truth. I argue that Nietzsche develops a method of interpretation - a hermeneutics - that focuses on the manner in which expressions in words or actions are imbued with a meaning that can be understood by others. To help in proving this theory, I draw on the contemporary work of Paul Ricoeur, who sees Nietzsche as a kind of hermeneutic philosopher who attempts to find meaning's origin in previously hidden biological, instinctual, or economic forces. While this element is strong in Nietzsche's work, I attempt to draw from his writings a complementary approach that views meaning as the product of activities that aim toward a goal. I contend that both its origins and its goals must be considered if we are to give a coherent account of human interpretation and understanding and that Nietzsche provides this while remaining sensitive to concrete situations. Essentially, I am arguing that Nietzsche can help us mediate between dogmatic and relativist theories of understanding with his hermeneutic method and his account of the process of understanding.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Interpretive Teleology Without Eschatology: A Study of the Hermeneutic Strategies of Nietzsche's Genealogical Project"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["McGinnis, Darin Sean"],"dc:date.available":["2016-03-31T17:09:01Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["In contemporary philosophy, there exists a vigorous debate between those thinkers who advocate the need for a truth that exists outside of historical forces and those who hold that all understanding must be historical in its basis. My research is focused on deciphering this problem by providing a description of how understanding and interpretation occur. More specifically, I have proposed a project that explores how the philosophical writings of Friedrich Nietzsche can give some insight into this problem of understanding truth. I argue that Nietzsche develops a method of interpretation - a hermeneutics - that focuses on the manner in which expressions in words or actions are imbued with a meaning that can be understood by others. To help in proving this theory, I draw on the contemporary work of Paul Ricoeur, who sees Nietzsche as a kind of hermeneutic philosopher who attempts to find meaning's origin in previously hidden biological, instinctual, or economic forces. While this element is strong in Nietzsche's work, I attempt to draw from his writings a complementary approach that views meaning as the product of activities that aim toward a goal. I contend that both its origins and its goals must be considered if we are to give a coherent account of human interpretation and understanding and that Nietzsche provides this while remaining sensitive to concrete situations. Essentially, I am arguing that Nietzsche can help us mediate between dogmatic and relativist theories of understanding with his hermeneutic method and his account of the process of understanding.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/207"],"dc:subject":["Genealogy","Hermeneutics","Nietzsche","Ricoeur","Philosophy"],"dc:title":["Interpretive Teleology Without Eschatology: A Study of the Hermeneutic Strategies of Nietzsche's Genealogical Project"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Philosophy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:55:16Z"}