Reflection and Reflective Knowledge: A Review of Rudolf Makkreel’sOrientation and Judgment in Hermeneutics

In this essay, I review Rudolf Makkreel’s, Orientation and Judgment in Hermeneutics (2015), which, I claim, represents an original contribution to continental philosophy. I take up his consideration that hermeneutics should incorporate philosophical reflection that not only recognizes the significance of the historical contexts of interpretation, but also situates interpretation within the contexts of the twenty-first century. I regard Makkreel’s work to be primarily aimed at emphasizing the mutually inclusive roles of reflection and reflective judgment involved in interpretation.