摘要：Many sociologists associate the method of verstehen with Max Weber. Verstehen, however, predated Weber and in at least one case had a much richer meaning than the one forwarded by Weber. The method of verstehen drawn on in this paper was developed by German philosopher, Wilhem Dilthey, a contemporary of Weber’s. Dilthey argued that in order to understand another, one had to know the socio-historical circumstances of that other and one also needed to “re-live” the experience(s) of that other. This is similar to the notion that Weber advocated, knowing the meanings that certain behavior had for others, but Dilthey’s notion takes this much further. It is this aspect of verstehen that is the central theme of this paper. For it is through re-living the experience of another, that one can gain a visceral understanding of what that other experienced; this can provide sociological and psychological insights and awareness not previously considered. Perhaps, more importantly, but certainly for purposes of this paper, the act of re-living the experience or an event of another can also be a powerful mechanism for self-discovery.
