1001Philosophers

Wilhelm Dilthey 1833 – 1911

Wilhelm Dilthey (1833 – 1911) was a German philosopher of the Modern era, associated with Continental Philosophy.

Wilhelm Dilthey was a German philosopher and historian who devoted his career to the foundations of the human sciences, the Geisteswissenschaften, against the encroachment of natural-scientific methods. He distinguished explanation, the procedure of natural science, from understanding, the proper procedure for human and historical phenomena, and he developed a hermeneutics of lived experience as the basis for genuine knowledge of human life. He held the chair of philosophy at Berlin previously occupied by Hegel and shaped twentieth-century hermeneutics through his influence on Heidegger and Gadamer.

Key facts

Nationality
German
Era
Modern
Movements
Continental Philosophy

Selected quotes

  • Attributed to Wilhelm Dilthey:

    “We explain nature, but we understand mental life.”

  • Attributed to Wilhelm Dilthey:

    “Reality only exists for us in the facts of consciousness.”

  • Attributed to Wilhelm Dilthey:

    “Understanding is the rediscovery of the I in the Thou.”

  • Attributed to Wilhelm Dilthey:

    “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”

  • Attributed to Wilhelm Dilthey:

    “All learning is in the end the recognition of the form of one's own existence.”

Wilhelm Dilthey by topic

Frequently asked about Wilhelm Dilthey

When did Wilhelm Dilthey live?
Wilhelm Dilthey was born in 1833 and died in 1911.
Where was Wilhelm Dilthey from?
Wilhelm Dilthey was a German philosopher of the Modern era.
What philosophical movements is Wilhelm Dilthey associated with?
Wilhelm Dilthey was associated with Continental Philosophy.
What was Wilhelm Dilthey known for?
Wilhelm Dilthey was a German philosopher and historian who devoted his career to the foundations of the human sciences, the Geisteswissenschaften, against the encroachment of natural-scientific methods.
How many quotes are attributed to Wilhelm Dilthey?
There are 5 attributed quotations from Wilhelm Dilthey in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.