Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900â2002). Hans-Georg Gadamer was a leading Continental philosopher of the twentieth century. His importance lies in his development of hermeneutic philosophy. Hermeneutics, âthe art of interpretation,â originated in biblical and legal fields and was later extended to all texts.he eagerness to conceive of the dialogical impetus of hermeneutics as a possible resource for resolving certain contemporary social and political crises in our world is found in much of the secondary literature on Gadamer.