Concept · Foundations

Interpretive Honesty

The commitment to letting a text say what it says, even when the implications are uncomfortable, rather than distorting its meaning to fit the interpreter's preferences.

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Why it matters

Interpretive honesty is the ethical foundation of hermeneutics. Without it, interpretation becomes manipulation.

Where this shows up

Units and lessons using this concept

Following the links will take you to the page where this term is introduced in context.

Units (1)

Hermeneutics: Arguing for an InterpretationInterpretation is not a spectator sport. When a text says something uncomfortable, people reach for the claim that it is 'just a metaphor…

Lessons (2)

Capstone: The Full Interpretive ArgumentHermeneutics: Arguing for an Interpretation The Metaphorical Escape: When People Dodge the Literal MeaningHermeneutics: Arguing for an Interpretation

Other concepts in Foundations

A, E, I, O Propositions Accessibility Relation Argument Atomic Statement Authorial Intent Base Rate Bayes Factor Burden of Proof in Interpretation Calibration Cardinality Cartesian Product Categorical Proposition