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Prejudice: Prejudice is a pre-formed opinion or attitude that is not based on reason or evidence. It can be caused by personal biases, cultural influences, or a lack of understanding. See also Actions, Rationality, Reason, Evidence, Understanding, Cultural tradition._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
Author | Concept | Summary/Quotes | Sources |
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Hans-Georg Gadamer on Prejudice - Dictionary of Arguments
I 273 Prejudice/Understanding/Hermeneutics/Gadamer: It's not the case that if you listen to someone or start to read someting, you don't have to forget all the pre-opinions about the content and all of your own opinions. Therefore, a hermeneutically trained awareness of the otherness of the text must be receptive from the outset. But such receptiveness requires I 274 neither factual nor even self-elimination, but includes the detached appropriation of one's own prejudices and preconceptions. It is important to be aware of one's own bias so that the test presents itself in its otherness and thus has the opportunity to play off its factual truth against one's own pre-opinion. >Understanding/Gadamer, >Hermeneutic Circle/Heidegger. Only [the] recognition of the essential prejudice of all understanding sharpens the hermeneutical problem to its real peak. I 275 GadamerVsHistorism: Measured by this insight, it becomes clear that historism, despite all criticism of rationalism and natural law thinking, is on the ground of the modern Enlightenment and shares its prejudices which were not seen through. For there is very well also a prejudice of the Enlightenment that carries and determines its essence: This fundamental prejudice of the Enlightenment is the prejudice against prejudices in general and thus the disempowerment of tradition. An analysis of the history of concepts shows that it is only through the Enlightenment that the concept of prejudice finds the negative accentuation to which we are accustomed. Prejudice in itself means a judgement that is made before the final examination of all factually determinant moments. In case law, a prejudice meant a preliminary legal decision before the actual final judgment was made. For the party in the lawsuit, however, the issuing of such a prejudice against that person meant an impairment of his or her chances. So préjudice as well as praeiudicium simply means impairment, disadvantage, damage. But this negativity is only a consecutive one. It is precisely the positive validity, the prejudicial value of the preliminary decision - as well as that of any precedent - on which the negative consequence is based. Unfoundedness (German: "Unbegründetheit"): The German word seems to have been limited by the Enlightenment and its criticism of religion to the meaning of "unfounded judgment"(1). Enlightenment: In the eyes of the Enlightenment, the lack of a statement of reasons does not leave room for other ways of validity, but means that the judgment has no substantive reason, i.e. is "unfounded". GadamerVsEnlightenment: This is a genuine conclusion in the spirit of rationalism. The discrediting of prejudices in general and the claim of scientific knowledge to eliminate them completely is based on it. >Rationalism. 1. Vgl. Leo Strauss, Die Religionskritik Spinozas, S. 163_____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Gadamer I Hans-Georg Gadamer Wahrheit und Methode. Grundzüge einer philosophischen Hermeneutik 7. durchgesehene Auflage Tübingen 1960/2010 Gadamer II H. G. Gadamer The Relevance of the Beautiful, London 1986 German Edition: Die Aktualität des Schönen: Kunst als Spiel, Symbol und Fest Stuttgart 1977 |