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31 definitions

Wilhelm Dilthey

Wilhelm Dilthey

1833 – 1911

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Anthropology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an investigation into man which, rather than viewing him through psychological and physiological processes, takes the human being to be a spiritual being. The idea is that 'structures' of this being make themselves available to research.

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Erlebnis (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠irrational, and we understand the expressions of life that surround us to the degree to which we can show how they emerge from lived experience.

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Erlebnis - ehrfahrung (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a distinction referring to two modes of experience. Ehrlebnis is 'life experience' and connotes adventure and event. Ehrfahrung, by contrast, suggests a more profound kind of discovery and learning, and also suffering and undergoing.

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Experience (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠defined in such a way that every 'unit of experience' is given to an individual's awareness with a certain structure.

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Explanation (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a model of intelligibility borrowed from the natural sciences and applied to the historical disciplines by positivist schools. 'Interpretation' on the other hand, is a derivative form of understanding.

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Hermeneutics (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not merely a question of one person trying to understand another, rather, it is based on common human sympathy and common human experience.

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Hermeneutics (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not simply concerned with reading texts but with reading all meaningful human action. Hermeneutic principles lay at the basis of all the historical sciences.

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The Ideal type (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a methodological approach whereby the most typical or most complete features of a phenomenon used in order to facilitate comparison and analysis.

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Interpretation (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the artful understanding of life manifestations objectified in written form.

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Life (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a concept whose question primarily concerns its conceptualization.

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Lived experience (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠irrational because life is irrational.