Meaning and the horizon of interpretation: How goals structure our experience of the world

Abstract

Many different interpretive frames can be brought to bear on the same experience. Heidegger described this space of possible meanings as the horizon of interpretation. This horizon can be understood as a probability distribution of possible meanings, instantiated as the relative activation of the brain's interpretive networks in response to sensory input. From an evolutionary perspective, correctly identifying the significance of incoming sensory information is a critical adaptive challenge. Consistent with its adaptive importance, the horizon of interpretation is constrained by a set of core motivational systems that function as broad categories of meaning. These constraints fluctuate from moment to moment as different goal states are activated or deactivated, with concomitant shifts in the horizon of interpretation. The distribution of meanings that an individual can derive from an experience will thus be heavily influenced by his or her active goals.