This work is especially momentous. At the turn of the millennia the process of globalization brings into intersection not only eco-nomic forces, but polities and, underneath all, cultures. Samuel Huntington is not wrong in pointing to this level of interaction as the most fundamental and decisive.

If then we are to escape the prospect of continued and deepening conflict it is necessary to envisage ways in which cultures can evolve without losing their continuity and interact without loss of identity. To find the answer to this question where must one look?

Just as many democracies are rooted in a document or declaration of principles such as a constitution, cultures are rooted in the basic religious commitments of their people. Often these are grounded in a sacred text to which fidelity is of the greatest moment. Perhaps nowhere is this more appreciated and lived than in Islam. Indeed, the pattern of its social dynamics is closely related to issues involved in reading the sacred text in contemporary times.

For this the work of H.-G. Gadamer can be of special interest. His thought has done much to clarifying the sense of cultural heritage and tradition. Thus, his work promises to provide special insight into the relation between fidelity to the text and the cultural heritage of a people.

The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy (RVP) is in the process of publishing the three related studies by Islamic scholars.

The first is The Authenticity of the Text In Hermeneutics by Seyed Musa Dibadj of Iran. This focuses on the text itself, but moves from protecting this from the human reader to insight into the way in which the reader can enable the being of the text to emerge in time.

The second is the present work by Burhanettin Tatar of Turkey, Interpretation and the Problem of the Intention of the Author. The third volume, yet to appear, is a study in depth of the issue of relativism and how this can be avoided while recognizing the role of the reader.

The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy honors these scholars. In our day there is no more important service than theirs to Islam and to humanity as a whole.