hiddenness

Hiddenness refers to the condition or quality of being hidden, concealed, or not readily perceptible. It can describe objects that are physically obscured, information that is not publicly known, or people whose thoughts or identities are not disclosed. Hiddenness encompasses deliberate concealment (for privacy, safety, or strategy) as well as unintentional invisibility (things that are difficult to see or understand due to distance, complexity, or bias).

In philosophy and epistemology, hiddenness concerns the limits of knowledge: how much can be known, which aspects remain unknowable, and why. Epistemic hiddenness involves information that is inaccessible or obscured, while ontological hiddenness refers to entities that exist but cannot be readily perceived. Aesthetic and literary contexts use hiddenness to describe deliberate ambiguity or obliqueness that invites interpretation.

In religion and theology, hiddenness is often used to discuss the perceived invisibility or inaccessibility of the divine. The problem of divine hiddenness asks why a benevolent God would remain largely hidden or inscrutable to rational beings. Explanations range from human limitations and the value of free will to purposes related to faith and moral development.

Social and political dimensions of hiddenness include privacy practices, surveillance, and strategies of concealment used by individuals, organizations, or states. In information security and data protection, hidden data, steganography, and opaque systems illustrate practical forms of hiddenness.

See also: concealment, privacy, secrecy, opacity, invisibility, anonymity, divine hiddenness.