General Contextualism: The Epistemological Star Chart and Practical Philosophy of Reflexive Pluralism

Faced with the epistemological normative crisis following the plurality of perspectives in the post-metaphysical age, this paper systematically constructs General Contextualism, aiming to lay the epistemological foundation for the philosophical system of Reflexive Pluralism. The core argument of this paper is that the validity of understanding does not stem from correspondence with transcendent reality, but is generated and anchored in specific Contexts. A Context is defined as a historical meaning-making system composed of a Set of Signifiers, a Grammatical Structure, an Ethical Structure and an Embodied Structure. This paper first establishes a dynamic model consisting of six core components: Generalized Language, Repertoire (Lexicon/Technique), Speech Community, Mediality, Context, and Generalized Speech Act. It then delves into the static framework of the Context, proposes the Triplicity of Positions (Interpretive, Associative, Discursive) of the Set of Signifiers, and clarifies the inseparable symbiotic relationship between the three-dimensional structures of grammar, ethics and embodiment. On this basis, the paper conducts a dynamic analysis of the four core principles of contextual operation: Lexical Position-Intellectual Inertia and Silent Constitution (before a speech act), and Speech Act-Truncation and Constitutive Circle (after a speech act). Subsequently, it explores four basic modes of the interaction of plural contexts: Translation, Alienation/Othering, Interlinking and Juxtaposition. Finally, it traces the generative process of the institutionalization of new contexts through two generative modes of new discourse: Encapsulation-Induction and Rhizomatic-Linking. The fundamental contribution of General Contextualism is that it develops the insight that "all understanding is context-dependent" into a sophisticated and operable epistemological analytical framework. It is not only the epistemological engine of Reflexive Pluralism, but also marks a fundamental shift in philosophical practice: the role of philosophers should transform from "legislators of truth" to "navigators" and "gardeners" of the cognitive ecology, and true cognitive freedom lies in the conscious navigation among plural contexts and responsible participation in their construction. This provides a completely new path for regaining philosophical wisdom and freedom amid radical finitude.