Includes bibliographical references and index.

Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900-2002) was one of the greatest philosophers of our era. He was also at the center of some of the century's darkest, most complex historical events, for he chose to remain in his native Germany in the 1930s, neither supporting Hitler nor actively opposing him, but negotiating instead an unpolitical position that allowed him to continue his philosophical work. In this magisterial book, Jean Grondin appraises Gadamer's life and achievement.