Hermeneutic decentering

Abstract This paper identifies a phenomenon called hermeneutic dismissiveness, which it positions in relation to willful hermeneutical ignorance (Pohlhaus 2012), hermeneutical clashes (Falbo 2022), and ameliorative conceptual engineering (e.g. Haslanger 2000). It then develops a generalized version of Iris Murdoch's (1970) notion of unselfing, for which I use the term decentering: this involves decentering not just one's (individual) self but also the (collective) “we”s with which one identifies. Hermeneutic decentering is then discussed as a kind of work that might serve to counteract hermeneutic dismissiveness, through an application of what Murdoch calls “attention to reality inspired by, consisting of, love” (Murdoch 1969: 65). The paper concludes with a brief discussion of some of the obstacles to hermeneutic decentering, and reflections on how these might be addressed.