A related point is expressed in the epigram, made famous by Max Weber, but apparently originating with Simmel, that “one does not need to be Caesar to understand him.”

DEFINE: Clarifies the Weber/Simmel epigram about empathetic understanding (verstehen) without personal experience of the subject's circumstances. XREF: Connects to verstehen in sociological method, the role of empathy versus lived experience in understanding social actors.

Georg Simmel, on individuality and social…, loc. 892