How did hermeneutics become important to the study of social life?

Hermeneutics became central to the study of social life by shifting the focus from causal explanation to the interpretation of meaning. Originally a method for interpreting written texts—most notably the Bible—hermeneutics was expanded to encompass all forms of human expression and action.1

This development was rooted in late 19th-century German thought, where theorists argued that because human actions are intentional and shaped by culture, they are fundamentally different from the movements of nonconscious entities. Philosophers like Wilhelm Dilthey contended that the human sciences must prioritize the interpretation of meaning to truly understand human life.1

In the 20th century, this approach was significantly advanced by thinkers such as Hans-Georg Gadamer and Paul Ricoeur. They argued that human actions are expressions of ideas and feelings, making them "meaningful phenomena." Consequently, understanding these actions requires an interpretive process similar to analyzing a text or a painting, rather than the causal dissection used in the natural sciences.1