HERMENEUTICS OF A SCIENTIFIC TEXT: COGNITIVE AND SEMANTIC BARRIERS TO ITS INTERPRETATION

Abstract

The authors theoretically substantiates and psychologically analyze the nature of cognitive and semantic barriers to the interpretation of scientific texts from the perspective of hermeneutic methodology. It is demonstrated that a scientific text constitutes a complex cognitive-semantic system whose processing requires the knower not merely to passively decode signs but to engage in active subjective meaning-making and reconstruction of the author’s intention. The philosophical-hermeneutic principles of Wilhelm Dilthey and Hans-Georg Gadamer are compared with cognitive models of discourse comprehension developed by Teun A. van Dijk and Walter Kintsch. The three-level model of cognitive text representation (surface code, textbase, and situation model) is analyzed, demonstrating that a cognitive barrier arises when the reader remains focused on semantic propositions without constructing an integrated situation model of the reality described. The role of basic mental processes in the structure of interpretation is revealed, including apperception, anticipation, and methodological reflection. A systematic classification of barriers to comprehension is presented, including conceptual dissonance, cognitive rigidity, and stylistic mismatch. It is substantiated that overcoming these barriers involves a transition from mechanical assimilation of material to meaningful structuring of information, identification of key reference points, and enhancement of the researcher’s scientific and information literacy. The practical value of the findings lies in their potential application to the development of tools for fostering researchers’ methodological competence and critical thinking.