What are Hermeneutics?

What are Hermeneutics? Hermeneutics may sound like a complicated term or theory but it really isn't. Let me explain. Hermeneutics comes from the Greek word "hermeneuo" which means "to interpret." Hermeneutics is a method of text interpretation based on changes in the world.
Preconceptions can affect our interpretation of what is being communicated through a text. We live in a special time period with a unique culture. Over time, people change, and so does the world and the ways we interpret things. Different time periods have a different culture and will interpret texts differently. If interpretation is based on present culture rather than the culture of author of the text, the interpretation will be different from the author's original intent. We can read recently published books without hermeneutics because it is in our time period and culture. If we were to read a book published thousands of years ago like the Bible, we need hermeneutics to understand the context and have a proper interpretation. In short, good hermeneutics leads to good interpretation while bad hermeneutics leads to bad interpretation.
Here's an example. Let's say you film a documentary of your daily life and put it in a box. A thousand years later someone discoveries it and watches the documentary. Obviously, the person watching it will understand it in a completely different way than intended. The person is in a totally different time period and culture. For example, the words spoken in the video may have changed meanings over the past time. Different time periods have different expressions.
Proper hermeneutics and interpretation comes from taking in the context of the culture and time period the text was written in. To properly interpret ancient texts, we need to take into consideration the cultural and historical context. Only then can we figure out the author's original intent.

Видео What are Hermeneutics? канала Michael Poon