Irrational Interpretation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26806/fd.v14i2.353Abstract
The study focuses on the process of text interpretation, tracing the phenomenon called "irrational interpretation". It understands the contrast rational – irrational on the basis of Donald Davidson's concept and is therefore based more on the philosophy of language than on psychology. The irrationality of interpretation lies in the inconsistency of the interpreter's beliefs, i.e. in the disruption of logical connections between his individual beliefs. A concrete example is used to show how such a state of mind of the interpreter can occur and what effect it has on the understanding of the whole text. The notion of irrational interpretation is considered against the background of a whole network of relationships – the interpreter to the text, to the author, to the context and to the tradition. These relationships are captured through several schemes based on Davidson's models of triangulation. The study is primarily concerned with the interpretation of non-literary texts, but the conclusion also considers the possibilities of applying the proposed analysis to the interpretation of literary fiction and nonfiction.
Keywords: interpretation – irrationality – belief – inner inconsistency – triangulation
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