Sache Selbst and its Ansicht in the Thought of Hans-Georg Gadamer

The aim of this article is to present an interpretation of the concept of the “thing” (Sache) within Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics and to demonstrate its fundamental significance for a proper understanding of the overall philosophical position of the author of Truth and Method. Although the concept of Sache most often appears on the periphery of Gadamer works, it operates implicitly within his most essential ontological reflections on the play of understanding and being as a process of presentation. At the same time, no scholarly consensus exists regarding how the “thing itself” should be understood within philosophical hermeneutics. The article examines two meanings of Sache in Gadamer’s thought: the “thing itself” (Sache selbst) and the “subject matter under discussion” (Streitsache), demonstrating their unity in the process of understanding. Furthermore, drawing on the work of Lawrence K. Schmidt, the article discusses four possible models of the relationship between the Sache selbst and its appearance in understanding (Ansicht). It is argued that the position asserting that the Sache selbst is changeable and not fully exhausted in its Ansicht is the only one consistent with Gadamer’s ontological theses. Moreover, the article demonstrates that the concept of the “thing itself” attests to Gadamer’s philosophy transcending the opposition between metaphysics and relativism, while also ensuring the preservation of the concept of truth and the distinction between true and false interpretations. Consequently, Gadamer’s notion of the Sache selbst remains crucial to contemporary post-metaphysical hermeneutic philosophy.