The arbitrariness characteristic of the humanities at the beginning of the 21st century has many causes. A central one is the lack of clarity regarding fundamental concepts, methods, and tasks of these sciences. Vittorio Hösle addresses this shortcoming with his new major book. In particular, he aims to demonstrate the possibility of intersubjectively valid understanding. The denial of this possibility, which has become common in postmodern discourse, threatens the humanities to their very core. Hösle's arguments begin with the realization that there is a remarkable continuity between understanding statements in one's own mother tongue and the acrobatic interpretative feats performed by someone deciphering a lost script, thus bridging the gap between everyday life and the humanities.