Hans-Georg Gadamer’s influential work, Truth and Method, marks a significant evolution in the realm of hermeneutics, expanding discussions to levels previously unexplored by earlier scholars such as Friedrich Schleiermacher and Wilhelm Dilthey. The treatise delves deeply into the ontological nature of understanding as conceptualized by Martin Heidegger, proposing a profound interpretation of the interplay between language, tradition, and comprehension.

Upon its release in 1960, Truth and Method sparked a significant intellectual debate between Gadamer and the German social philosopher Jürgen Habermas. At the heart of their controversy was the role and interpretation of language and tradition within hermeneutics. Gadamer approached these concepts from an ontological and metaphysical perspective, treating them as foundational to understanding. However, Habermas, influenced by Marxist thought, critiqued Gadamer’s openness to tradition, arguing that it failed to critically assess the social and political dimensions intertwined with language. He posited that language and tradition often act as instruments of social power and political hegemony, subtly shaping consciousness and legitimizing oppressive systems. Thus, Habermas advocated for transforming hermeneutics into a form of ideological criticism, or Ideologiekritik, that actively interrogates these influences.

Gadamer’s hermeneutics also intersect with the philosophical movement of deconstruction, sharing a lineage with the phenomenological ideas of Edmund Husserl and the ontological perspectives of Heidegger. While Gadamer’s approach emphasizes the act of interpretation and the establishment of meaning, deconstruction—most notably represented by Jacques Derrida—focuses on the fluidity and indeterminacy of meaning. Derrida’s theories propose that texts allow for multiple interpretations, challenging Gadamer’s view of language as an ontological revelation. Instead, Derrida characterizes the concept of Being as a "myth of presence," reshaping Husserl’s and Heidegger’s ideas through the lens of structuralism, semiology, and post-Freudian theory.

Despite these philosophical tensions, Truth and Method has undeniably broadened and invigorated hermeneutics. In the mid-twentieth century, as critical theory gained prominence across various intellectual fields, Gadamer’s contributions became pivotal in fostering a deeper philosophical inquiry into the essence of understanding, ensuring that his work remains a cornerstone in contemporary hermeneutic discourse.