Evaluation and Criticism of the Approach to the Author in the Hermeneutics of Eric Hirsch’s Objectivism with an Emphasis on the Interpretative View of Allameh Tabatabai

The current research aims to answer the question of how the hermeneutics of Eric Hirsch's objectivism can be criticized and evaluated based on the criteria of the author in Allameh Tabatabai's interpretive theory. A descriptive-analytical investigation of the hermeneutic view of Eric Hirsch’s objectivism shows that Hirsch, with his belief in the meaning and purpose of the author, and paying special attention to the stability of meaning and preventing the interference of the interpreter’s mental world in understanding the meaning of the work, stands against interpretive subjectivism and its consequences such as pluralism and relativism. He presents the approach to the author based on criteria such as emphasis on the author, the ability to determine the meaning, and the distinction between the meaning of the text and the reaction of the interpreter. The criticism and evaluation of his view in the interpretive theory of Allameh Tabataba'i indicates that although Hersch uses these criteria in his approach to the author in order to preserve the role and meaning of the author, he calls for a quantitative and qualitative expansion of the understanding of the text and the work without limitations. However, his author-centered point of view leads to limitations in understanding the text, wrong perceptions mixed with deviations in interpretation, or the loss of the author's intention.