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Interpreting philosophy, developing a methodology for research

Updated: Feb 22

This series of blogs bring to knowledge paper 1 on interpreting philosophy, developing a methodology for research.


Paper 1

Harris, D.A. (2017) Doing research drawing on the philosophy of existential hermeneutic phenomenology. Palliative and Supportive Care 15, 267–269. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951516000377


At the time of writing this reflective paper, there were limited reflections published on how to implement the philosophy of existential hermeneutic phenomenology as a methodology for research. Paper 1 provides a nuanced account of interpreting the two philosophical positions of existential phenomenology (Heidegger, 1927/1962) and philosophical hermeneutics (Gadamer, 1975), and applying these in a research methodology. As a researcher, I do not deny that my presuppositions will have affected the choices I have made. Another researcher approaching the study of the phenomenon of existence would also have their historical-cultural situatedness and would interpret these philosophical ideas in their own way.


This paper has received a degree of interest. I am in no doubt that researchers will use different aspects of my methodology because there are particular gaps in these areas:

1. Bringing presuppositions to consciousness before recruiting and meeting the participants, and during interpretation;

2. Choice of the data collection method;

3. Whole stories transcribed so that others can understand (interpret) them;

4. Use of a philosophical framework to analyse the text that focusses on the part