Hermeneutics….huh?

Hermeneutics (Hr-muh-noo-tuhks)……That might sound too academic, this word is in the lingo for the academic philosophical world and still each time I see the word it stops my brain. I have somewhat wrapped my head around concepts, philosophy, paradigm, ontology, and epistemology and here’s the word I still struggle with - hermeneutics. To understand philosophy it’s necessary to understand the historical, cultural, and political environment at the time. Not just at the time, but also where it took place. Where was the person who wrote it? What was going on at the time in their setting? What possible influences impacted and shaped the philosopher’s human experience while they wrote, reflected, and interpreted?