From the Will to Truth to the Will to Interpretation: A Study in the Ontology of the Will

Abstract

This research examines the philosophical shift from a central focus on the will to truth to a horizon of the will to interpretation. This shift is not limited to the epistemological level  but  extends  to  the  ontological  structure  of  human  existence  in  contemporary societies.  While  the  will  to  truth,  in  the  metaphysical  tradition,  was  associated  with stability, certainty, and the claim of ultimate correspondence, the will to interpretation expresses a historical awareness of the fluid nature of meaning and its role as a product of symbolic struggles defined within language and discourse.The research begins with the premise that the shift from truth to interpretation reflects a  change  in  the  conditions  of  cultural  hegemony.  In  complex  societies,  power  is exercised not only through direct force but also through the production of meaning andthe symbolic framing of reality. Consequently, interpretation becomes an active tool in shaping collective consciousness, redefining legitimacy, and formulating the narratives that  constitute  identity  and  history.  In  this  sense,  the  will  to  interpretationcan  be understood  as  a  mechanism  for  redistributing  power  within  the  symbolic  field, reminiscent  of  Foucault's  analyses  of  power  and  knowledge,  and  of  deconstruction, which revealed the instability and perpetual openness of meaning.