Hans-Georg Gadamer (b. 1900) is widely recognized as the leading exponent of philosophical hermeneutics. The essays in this collection examine Gadamer's biography, the core of hermeneutical theory, and the significance of his work for ethics, aesthetics, the social sciences, and theology. They consider his appropriation of Hegel, Heidegger, and the Greeks and his relation to modernity, critical theory, and post-structuralism. New readers will find this Companion the most convenient and accessible guide to Gadamer currently available. Advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Gadamer.