How did historicism arise?

Historicism arose in the late 18th and 19th centuries as a reaction against Enlightenment rationalism and the notion of universal truths. It emphasized the importance of historical context in understanding human behavior, culture, and institutions. Scholars like Johann Gottfried Herder and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel contributed to its development, advocating that ideas and values are deeply rooted in specific historical circumstances. This approach laid the groundwork for later movements in philosophy, sociology, and the humanities, emphasizing the significance of historical development in shaping human experience.