The Relevance of a Deep Understanding of the Objective Meaning Intrinsic to Language for the Knowledge of Man and for the Human Culture

Abstract

The paper focuses on the question relating to the identification of the objective meaning in linguistic and interlinguistic contexts, particularly the meaning of literary texts which are the deepest expression of the mind of man together with tales and fables, mythological and religious texts. It is highlighted in the paper how misunderstandings or at least serious misunderstandings of the meaning of such texts should and can be avoided in order to respect the concept of culture. Since the meaning of such texts is or should be also the main focus of a scientific research on the human imagination, it concerns the concept of knowledge in a more strict sense. In the paper the right to so called subjective free interpretations in the field of literary specialization is considered. So, we make a short reference both to the Theory of Meaning of Charles Sanders Peirce which is based on a supposed subjectivism compromising language as a tool to express objective and scientific knowledge, and to the Spatial Theory of Meaning and Spatial Method of Mascialino referring to a more objective way of considering and identifying the meaning of language. As a conclusion of this paper, we present an example known all over the world which concerns the wrong interpretation and translation of a Jewish syntagm in the gospel together with its enormous effects for human life and culture of misunderstanding.