Dilthey believes that from Bacon, the scientific method of nature sciences was refined and developed in depth. However, with regard to the 'science of the spirit' or those whose object of study is found in the historical and cultural reality, an adequate method was not yet described. Just as these sciences were first subordinated to metaphysics, then they were reduced by positivists who tried to adapt to the method of the sciences of nature ignoring the specificity of their object of study.
In this line, Dilthey will elaborate the central concepts of historicism:
The object of study of the 'science of the spirit' is the historical social reality, which consists of individualities that can only be known through the biographical method. The method of natural sciences cannot capture this object of study, it is therefore necessary to apply specific instruments such as experience, expression and understanding.
Types are the only legitimate forms of generalization within the spirit sciences. These are based on the various forms of expression of similar experiences. From a historical examination, Dilthey points out three types of visions:
Naturalism: It is a materialistic approach that postulates causal and mechanistic explanations of reality. As a result, he is anti-spiritualist.
Idealism of freedom: The person, freedom and divine transcendence, is the center from which he conceives the world.
Objective idealism: It is a pantheistic perspective in which the idea of the whole and the unity of the universe prevails.
Finally, it should be noted that Dilthey points out that every understanding is historical understanding: all its methodological developments lead to consider life as a radical reality and irreducible to any other kind of reality and only understandable from itself. History builds dynamic structures and connections centered on itself, from there, the relative character of values and truth will be conceived: every value and every conception of the world must be judged according to its historical context. It should be noted that Dilthey pointed out that this method should not be interpreted as skepticism in terms of truth.