This study critically analyzes the absolute belief about school textbooks based on the
perspective of Gadamer’s hermeneutics. In the traditional pedagogy, school textbooks have
become a classical subject of research. This study reviews the previous studies on school
textbooks and accounts for two dominant views on them. First, textbook-authoritarianism
implies that school textbooks contain absolute authority as foundation. Second, author-centrism
is a notion that school textbooks reflect textbook authors' knowledge structure which is
regarded to have intellectual superiority.
From Gadamer's perspective, interpretation is always open and allows for flexible
communication. In contrast, textbook-authoritarianism seems to limit interpretation and
make it inflexible. Thus, this view results in impeding communication in various educational
situations. Gadamer also argues that human beings do not possess the complete Truth due
to their finitude. Accordingly, considering that textbook authors are human beings with
finitude, the contents of school textbooks cannot be considered absolute Truth. At the
same time, interpretation of school textbooks cannot be limited to authors' intention.
In conclusion, this study suggests that Gadamer's hermeneutics provides a new point
of view on school textbooks. School textbooks must not be considered an integration of
standard knowledge, but the subject of interpretation. This would develop the use of
school textbooks and classroom instruction into a different direction.