VICO, GIAMBATTISTA

born June 23, 1668, Naples died Jan. 23, 1744, Naples Italian philosopher of cultural history and law, who is recognized today as a forerunner of cultural anthropology, or ethnology. He attempted, especially in his major work, the Scienza nuova (1725; New Science), to bring about the convergence of history, from the one side, and the more systematic social sciences, from the other, so that their interpenetration could form a single science of humanity. Additional reading The standard edition of Vico's works is by Fausto Nicolini, 8 vol. (191141). For bibliography, see Benedetto Croce, Bibliografia vichiana, enlarged and ed. by Fausto Nicolini, 2 vol. (194748). The milieu, formation, and evolution of Vico's thought are studied in Jules Chaix-Ruy, La Formation de la pense philosophique de G.-B. Vico (1943, reprinted 1979), Vie de J.-B. Vico (1943), which contains abundant notes, and J.-B. Vico et l'illuminisme athe (1968). Leon Pompa, Vico: A Study of the New Science, 2nd ed. (1990), offers a systematic analysis of some of Vico's principal philosophical views, including those on human nature, historical and social change, and Providence. Giambattista Vico: An International Symposium, ed. by Giorgio Tagliacozzo and Hayden V. White (1969), contains original essays by leading scholars charting Vico's contributions to Western thought.