Heinrich Rickert

Heinrich Rickert was a German philosopher and historian known for his work on the philosophy of culture and science. He distinguished between natural sciences (like physics) that study the external world and cultural sciences (like history and art) that explore human values, meanings, and interpretations. Rickert emphasized that cultural sciences are subjective but still aim for understanding—what he called "value-positing." His ideas helped clarify how different types of knowledge require different methods, highlighting the importance of context, human perspective, and values in studying human culture and history.