AbstractThis paper is intended to be an introduction to the elucidation of the mutual understanding on the basis of the concept interpretation. The author raises the question about how is it possible to understand each other in spite of the fact that the mental world is immediately inaccessible. He argues that the possibility of the mutual understanding is an anthropological constant: the human being is set for understanding as a result of the evolutional mature of his interpretational ability.

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... The major part of the text is an attempt at explanation of the role of interpretation in the process of shaping of the subject. It is argued that the germ of the subjectivity is the instinct for self-preservation which determines the fundamental relation of the human to the world: the world is seen through the lens of egocentrism. Showing that the possibility of the mutual understanding of egocentric subjects is a deceptive paradox helps us comprehend the anthropological foundation of this phenomenon. The final part of the text outlines the problem of the mutual understanding in the real interactional conditions and focuses the attention on three fundamental factors: ego, language, egoism