historical school
Noun: 1. A school of thought, particularly prominent in 19th-century Germany, which argued that social institutions (especially law and economics) must be understood and analyzed through their historical development and evolutionary context, rather than through abstract, universal principles.
The term "historical school" is used to describe a specific intellectual movement and its adherents. It is typically used in academic contexts when discussing the history of economic or legal thought. - It functions as a countable noun (e.g., the historical school, a historical school of thought). - It is often preceded by a defining adjective, most commonly "German," to specify its origin.
- The historical school challenged the classical economists' belief in universal economic laws.
- Scholars of the German historical school emphasized the unique historical path of each nation's legal system.
- His methodology was heavily influenced by the historical school.
- The term can be applied more broadly to any intellectual approach in the social sciences or humanities that prioritizes historical context and development over theoretical abstraction, though this is often specified (e.g., "the historical school of linguistics").
- Historicism (n): A related but broader philosophy emphasizing the importance of historical context to understanding all human phenomena, often associated with the ideas of the historical school.
- Historical jurisprudence (n): The branch of legal philosophy developed by the historical school, focusing on law as a product of custom and national spirit ().
- Historicist school (in specific contexts)
While "historical school" primarily refers to the 19th-century German movement, it can be used in a secondary, generic sense: 1. (Primary) The 19th-century German school of economics and law. 2. (Secondary) Any academic school of thought that uses historical analysis as its principal method.
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a school of 19th century German economists and legal philosophers who tried to explain modern economic systems in evolutionary or historical terms
