"In the real life-process, willing, feeling, and thinking are only different aspects"

Wilhelm Dilthey’s assertion that willing, feeling, and thinking are only different aspects of the real life-process points to his understanding of human experience as a unified, dynamic phenomenon. According to Dilthey, human existence cannot be adequately described by isolating individual psychological functions and treating them as separate entities. Rather, life presents itself as an intertwined process in which our desires, emotions, and thoughts are inextricably linked. Willing, as the capacity to pursue goals and act intentionally, is never devoid of emotional coloring or detached from the frameworks provided by thought. Conversely, our thinking is influenced not only by abstract logic but also by the shifting tides of our feelings and volition.

Dilthey moves away from the rigid separations prevalent in philosophical traditions that prioritize reason above emotion or action. He emphasizes that lived experience (Erlebnis) integrates these dimensions seamlessly. For example, when confronted with a significant life decision, a person's actions (willing) are shaped by what they value (feeling) and how they interpret their circumstances (thinking). Such interdependence suggests a holistic approach to understanding human beings, one that resists reduction to isolated faculties.

The implication of Dilthey’s perspective is significant for the study of human sciences. Instead of analyzing feeling, willing, or thinking as self-sufficient, each must be understood contextually, as aspects through which the flow of life expresses itself. Human subjectivity finds its richness in this interplay; emotions are not merely passive states, thoughts are not disembodied logical derivations, and actions are not mechanical outputs. They are interwoven movements within the overall process of life. Dilthey’s insight encourages us to recognize the complexity and unity of experience, advocating for a comprehensive interpretation of life that honors its multifaceted reality without fragmenting its essence.