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jrlewis's picture

who takes responsibility for the story?

Imagine a world where there is no demarcation between art and science…  There are only stories: stories about nature, stories about humanity, stories about stories.  The stories are summaries of observations and summaries of summaries; it is stories all the way down.  Everyone shares stories.  This raises the question of who has the right to which stories?  Does the author have a privileged access to the material?  Do the author’s intentions determine the interpretation of the story?  If so, then all authors, including scientists, have a great responsibility with respect to the information they share with society.  People would be bound to consider the impact of their work and take responsibility for it.  They might want to announce their motives as for humanity, knowledge, or profit.  These concerns rest on the assumption that an author can/should influence the interpretation of their text, a general problem of interpretation.  If rejected, then the text must determine its own interpretations and is autonomous upon publication.  Autonomy, intentionality, and interpretation are intertwined. 

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