1848 – 1915
Wilhelm Windelband (1848–1915) was a German philosopher and leading figure of the Southwest (Baden) School of Neo-Kantianism. He made foundational contributions to the philosophy of history, the theory of values, and the methodology of the sciences. His work sought to defend the autonomy of cultural and historical inquiry against the dominance of natural-scientific models.
Introduced the influential nomothetic/idiographic distinction between law-seeking and individual-case sciences in his 1894 rectoral address
Founded the Southwest School of Neo-Kantianism alongside Heinrich Rickert, reorienting Kant toward a philosophy of values
Authored a widely used systematic History of Philosophy that shaped how the discipline was taught for generations
Developed a normative conception of logic, ethics, and aesthetics grounded in universal values rather than psychology
Argued for the independence of the Geisteswissenschaften (human sciences) from reduction to natural science