The Reliability of Interpretation in the Production of Knowledge: A Comparative Analysis of History and the Arts

This essay examines the extent to which interpretation serves as a reliable tool for producing knowledge, focusing on History and the Arts. The author argues that reliability is contingent upon the perspectives and purposes guiding the interpretive process.

In History, the essay analyzes the reconstruction of early Korean society via the Tan'gun Shinhwa legend, contrasting historiographical objectivity with the inherent biases of selection. In the Arts, it examines Frida Kahlo's self-portraits and Miles Davis's modal jazz to distinguish between conscious and intuitive interpretation.

The work is distinguished by its nuanced synthesis of historiographical theory and artistic practice, effectively balancing the tension between subjective bias and the necessity of meaning-making.