"To attempt this would be like seeing without eyes or directing the gaze of knowledge behind one's own eye. Modern science can acknowledge no other than this epistemological stand-point"
- Wilhelm Dilthey
About this Quote
This quote by Wilhelm Dilthey is referring to the concept that understanding is limited to what we can observe and experience. He is suggesting that trying to gain understanding beyond what we can observe and experience is difficult, as it would be like trying to see without eyes or looking behind one's own eye. He is stressing that modern-day science can only accept understanding that is based on what we can observe and experience. This quote is a pointer that understanding is limited to what we can observe and experience, and that trying to get understanding beyond that is futile. Dilthey's quote is a reminder that we should know the constraints of our knowledge and aim to get more knowledge within those limits.