The second half of the nineteenth century saw a lively interest in the "historical problem." Shpet here turns to the role of hermeneutics in the ongoing elaborations of the methodology of historical knowledge. Prantl was the first to undertake such a treatment, but his direction turned out to be unfruitful. Dilthey, however, diligently advocated for hermeneutics as the methodological foundation for history as a discipline. While he saw the importance of hermeneutics, his approach was one-sided, which predetermined his entire presentation.