GV
Giambattista Vico
24quotes
Giambattista Vico: A Life of Philosophy and Innovation
Full Name and Common Aliases
Giambattista Vico was born on June 23, 1668, in Naples, Italy. He is commonly referred to as Giovanni Battista Vico.
Birth and Death Dates
Vico's life spanned from June 23, 1668, until October 28, 1744.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Giambattista Vico was an Italian philosopher, historian, and jurist. His work spans various fields, including philosophy, history, law, and linguistics.
Early Life and Background
Vico's early life was marked by the influence of his father, Antonio Maria Vico, who was a lawyer and a scholar. Vico's mother, Benedetta Riggio, came from a family of modest means but had connections to the local nobility. The young Vico showed an affinity for learning at an early age, which led him to become a tutor in various households.
As he grew older, Vico became increasingly interested in the study of law and philosophy, eventually enrolling in the University of Naples. However, his time at university was short-lived due to financial constraints. Undeterred, Vico continued to educate himself through extensive reading and self-study.
Major Accomplishments
Vico's academic pursuits led him to develop a unique philosophical system that would influence generations of thinkers. His most notable works include:
_De Antiquissima Italorum Sapientia_ (On the Oldest Wisdom of the Italians, 1710)
_Principi di Scienza Nuova d'Italia_ (Principles of a New Science Concerning the Nature of Nations, 1725)
* _La Scienza Nuova_ (The New Science, 1744)
These works showcased Vico's innovative approach to understanding human history and culture. He rejected the prevailing notion that civilizations progress uniformly towards perfection, instead positing that they evolve through a cyclical process of birth, growth, decay, and rebirth.
Notable Works or Actions
Vico's philosophical system was revolutionary for its time. He drew on classical Greek and Roman sources to develop his ideas about language, history, and the nature of human societies. His concept of "ideal eternal history" posited that human civilizations pass through a series of recurring stages, with each stage representing a unique combination of rationality and imagination.
Impact and Legacy
Vico's influence on modern thought is profound. His emphasis on the importance of language and culture in shaping human experience has influenced linguists, anthropologists, and literary theorists. Theorists such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, and Michel Foucault have all cited Vico as a key inspiration.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Giambattista Vico is widely remembered for his groundbreaking work in philosophy, history, and linguistics. His innovative approach to understanding human culture and civilization has made him one of the most influential thinkers of the modern era.
Quotes by Giambattista Vico
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The Roman jurisconsults established worship of God as the first and foremost part of the natural law of the gentes. For where there is neither rule of law nor force of arms, and men are accordingly in a state of complete freedom, they can neither enter nor remain in society with others except through fear of a force superior to them all, and, therefore, through fear of a divinity common to all. This fear of divinity is called ‘religion’.
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Men first feel necessity, then look for utility, next attend to comfort, still later amuse themselves with pleasure, thence grow dissolute in luxury, and finally go mad and waste their substance.
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Metaphysics abstracts the mind from the senses, and the poetic faculty must submerge the whole mind in the senses. Metaphysics soars up to universals, and the poetic faculty must plunge deep into particulars.
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People first feel things without noticing them, then notice them with inner distress and disturbance, and finally reflect on them with a clear mind.
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Governments must be conformable to the nature of the governed; governments are even a result of that nature.
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The criterion and rule of the true is to have made it. Accordingly, our clear and distinct idea of the mind cannot be a criterion of the mind itself, still less of other truths. For while the mind perceives itself, it does not make itself.
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