Foundations for a hermeneutic philosophy of the human sciences

This chapter investigates the epistemological positions of Esa Itkonen and Eugenio Coseriu, positing that their shared hermeneutic perspectives allow for a unified approach to their metatheoretical conceptions. Drawing on textual evidence from both authors, it begins by exploring the implications for linguistic scientific research of viewing languages as sets of norms. The discussion highlights how norm-governed performances, including linguistic performance, which are immune to spatio-temporal facts, enable the exercise of free will, thereby necessitating not causal explanations, but rather finalist or rational explanations that integrate intuition and empathy in the researcher’s approach.