ABSTRACT
The problem of discerning 'true' prejudices, which enable to understand, from 'false' prejudices, which lead to misunderstanding, is, Hans-Georg Gadamer acknowledges, the central question of a truly historical hermeneutics. According to Gadamer, every form of understanding necessarily involves some prejudice. Gadamer thinks his main achievement was the discovery of prejudice as a source of world-disclosure. Some Enlightenment thinkers, however, regarded prejudice as something which blinds men to reality. The possibility of truth that prejudices possess does not make good Gadamer's claim that all understanding is prejudiced. The capacity of prejudice to guide and focus attention is related to its economic aspect. The antithesis of judgement and prejudice, familiar from many Enlightenment treatises, suggested the following: Judgement means coming to a conclusion after considering all the factors, while prejudice implies jumping to a conclusion without considering them. To criticize prejudice as such, in the manner of numerous exponents of the Enlightenment, can be a hazardous business.
