Fiddler on many roofs. Odo Marquard's postmodern hermeneutics and the issue of pluralism

Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss the fundamental relation between social pluralism and the tradition (or rather the plurality of different traditions) in the Odo Marquard’s philosophy. The author present the conception of the German philosopher as a combination of postmodernism and hermeneutics. The article shows the epistemological presuppositions (especially scepticism) that has led Marquard to the conclusions according to which it is necessary to based once worldview on the tradition. At the same time article presents how Marquard is able to interferes the affirmation of tradition with the affirmation of the plurality of the social reality. The Other – person raised in a different traditions – in following conception not only is not a threat for “our own culture” but moreover he or she can help us in understanding the meaning of the word “ours” as well as teach as an important distance, with is necessary for critical thinking.