Hermeneutical postphenomenology: Computational tools and the lure of objectivity.

This paper critically examines the "computational turn" in digital humanities, particularly in literary studies, and proposes a "human-focused" approach grounded in hermeneutical postphenomenology to understand the relationship between human scholars and computational tools. It discusses the complementary roles of traditional close reading and computational distant reading, emphasizing that while computational methods like quantification and visualization can reveal new patterns in large textual corpora, they do not guarantee objectivity in interpretation due to inherent human subjectivity in data selection, tool development, and analysis. The paper highlights that humanities disciplines prioritize interpretive practices centered on human experience rather than verifiable knowledge, and it stresses the importance of recognizing the subjectivity embedded in computational tools to avoid the "lure of objectivity." Ultimately, it argues that computational tools serve as aids to human interpretation and that a nuanced understanding of the human-technology relationship enhances textual scholarship in the digital age.