Prejudicedness of understanding in Gadamer

Abstract

Regarding the Understanding, one characteristic that we often prioritize is the unprejudicedness. In other words, the good understanding seems to be the one that is neutral to all parties. We try to achieve this objective value-free understanding by listening to all sides, pondering all arguments or examining all evidence in the way that detaches from personal prejudices – our morality, emotion or traditional norm – which would cloud our understanding. In practice, this attempt detaches our understanding from our human conditions. This paper proposes that the Understanding is made possible only by prejudices as the pre-understanding conditions of the Understanding. The proper Understanding is not achieved by trying to be value-free, but by being aware of the limit of our own prejudices.