Rethinking Scientific Authority in the Post-Truth Era: A Gadamerian Perspective
(Menimbang Ulang Otoritas Keilmuan di Era Post-Truth: Perspektif Gadamerian)
Keywords:
Hermeneutics, Gadamer, Post-Truth, Scientific Authority, TraditionAbstract
This article reexamines the crisis of scientific authority in the post-truth era through Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics. It argues that the erosion of trust in science is not merely driven by misinformation, but by a deeper hermeneutical gap between scientific rationality and historically situated public understanding. Drawing on Gadamer’s concepts of prejudice (Vorurteil), tradition, and the fusion of horizons, the study employs a historical-critical library approach to analyze how Enlightenment objectivism contributed to the marginalization of tradition in knowledge formation. The findings suggest that scientific authority cannot rely solely on methodological objectivity, but must be grounded in dialogical recognition (Anerkennung) and interpretive engagement with societal contexts. By integrating insights from critical theory and contemporary post-truth discourse, this paper proposes a reconfiguration of scientific authority as reflexive, dialogical, and historically aware, offering a conceptual foundation for more inclusive science communication and hermeneutic-based education.
Abstrak
Artikel ini meninjau kembali krisis otoritas keilmuan di era post-truth melalui hermeneutika filosofis Hans-Georg Gadamer. Studi ini berargumen bahwa erosi kepercayaan terhadap ilmu pengetahuan tidak semata disebabkan oleh misinformasi, tetapi oleh kesenjangan hermeneutik antara rasionalitas ilmiah dan pemahaman publik yang bersifat historis. Dengan menggunakan konsep prasangka (Vorurteil), tradisi, dan peleburan cakrawala, penelitian ini menerapkan metode studi kepustakaan dengan pendekatan historis-kritis untuk menganalisis bagaimana objektivisme Pencerahan memarginalkan peran tradisi dalam pembentukan pengetahuan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa otoritas keilmuan tidak dapat hanya bergantung pada objektivitas metodologis, tetapi perlu didasarkan pada pengakuan dialogis (Anerkennung) dan keterlibatan interpretatif dengan konteks sosial. Dengan mengintegrasikan perspektif teori kritis dan diskursus post-truth, artikel ini menawarkan rekonfigurasi otoritas keilmuan yang reflektif, dialogis, dan sadar historis.
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