Interpretation as a Way of Knowing
Can interpretation of data lead to new knowledge?
By experience, we know interpretation can lead to problems since we can misinterpret. Most of us have had someone misinterpret what we said or did. We can think of many examples. While we interpret unconsciously and automatically, we sometimes interpret according to a discipline. In either case, we automatically and subconsciously add worldviews, presuppositions, hidden assumptions, and preconceived notions into our interpretations. We may not realize we’re adding them. We may realize we’re adding preconceived concepts from our worldviews, but we may think of those concepts as parts of reality. Our worldviews seem more real than reality. That makes it impossible for our natural minds to keep made-up stuff out of interpretation. We can’t get outside ourselves to be objective. Peer review was supposed to overcome the problem, but it made it worse and more deceptive. And yet, if we seek the mind of God, the Holy Spirit can teach us the interpretation. Consider these four types of interpretation.
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