metainterpretation
Metainterpretation is the practice of interpreting the act of interpretation. It concerns examining how people derive meaning from data, texts, or signals by exposing the underlying assumptions, methods, and contextual factors that influence interpretation. The term is used across disciplines, including philosophy, literary theory, law, linguistics, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence, where scholars study not only the meaning produced but the process by which that meaning is produced.
In philosophy and hermeneutics, metainterpretation analyzes interpretive frameworks themselves—the role of context, prior theories, authorial intention,
In law and programmatic analysis, metainterpretation concerns the rules and canons used to interpret texts or
Critics warn that metainterpretation can become circular if it focuses on justifying interpretations rather than understanding
See also: hermeneutics, interpretability, meta-analysis, meta-theory, explainable AI.