Hermeneutics of Science — Technical Assessments and Hidden Horizons of Meaning

By writing, we inscribe the world around us and carve it into meaning. This idea of Jacques Derrida, which postulates that the function of the written text is not merely to describe but to actively create a new world, has found wide resonance across disciplines. Specifically, the article focuses on writing understood as a performative act of naming and classification — a universal mechanism of world-creation. This raises a critical question: can scientific texts, often seen as neutral descriptions of reality, also construct their own worlds, serving as horizons for creative interpretation and hermeneutic engagement? The article systematically examines arguments against applying hermeneutics to scientific texts, including their presumed transparency, reliance on empirical verification, and the formal rigidity of scientific concepts. Critics assert that scientific statements derive meaning solely from their correspondence to observable reality, leaving no room for interpretive ambiguity. However, the author counters this view by demonstrating how scientific texts, like artistic or philosophical works, generate their own contexts — whether through theoretical paradigms, «hidden worlds» of unobservable entities (e.g., atoms, social structures), or aesthetic criteria like elegance and simplicity. Examples from the history of science (e.g., Kepler’s laws, Weber’s Protestant Ethic) illustrate how scientific meaning emerges from interplay between formal statements and their interpretive horizons. Ultimately, the article advocates for a hermeneutic approach to science, revealing how scientific texts transform both their subjects and their readers, bridging the gap between empirical rigor and the creative construction of meaning.