New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-09
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
AN ITALIAN PHILOSOPHER.

AN ITALIAN PHILOSOPHER.
Woo by RopERT Flint Professor IN the unyep RSa ."
ers Edited by William Knight, LIZ H. com ron'I rd9p
sss Ph Which, ,,cS 4 b. pg eoS. WI
The name of Gambattsta Vico is not familiar 'o
English readers and will not be found very often
even in the pages of English philosophers whe Ill
Germany IL is even less known than 1t is IN Eng
land aud America Vice. however, was
writer and thinker of profound genius
who has exercised, and is sun eN
ercisinr. a great influence upon Italian phosophi-
cal speculation, and through that upon the geuer"i
nrogress of ideas. For hundred years he mas Deeh
reycrently studied in his own country, and III 'ne
rresent century especially he has had enthusiastic
followers, the favor with which he is regarded III
Italy being attributable in great part to National
feeling Vico is regarded a powerful living
force IN the great Italian awakening which ths age
has witnessed" -; and yet some critics nave uc-
nounced his philosophy as an antlqua'eu anu W
solete system constructed in the interests OF inc
church. With this unfavOrabe judgment Professor
Flint does not hold Woo was emphatcaIy a
Christian PHILOSOPHER, and Roman Cathohc
philosopher. He was a man of pure life, sincere
piety and strong religious convictions; the doc-
trines of divine Providence, of Immortality OF the
necessity of the Christian scheme of morals for the
regulation of human life are fundamental parts OF
his system he was careful to affirm that his doc
trines were in harmony with the teachings OF the
church and he regarded Lutheransm and CALVIN
ism as inconsistent witha philosophy whlch would
satisfy the general reason Of mankind. But Pro-
fessor Flint remarks that nowhere in his works
has he introduced the distinctive doctrines OF ko-
man Catholicism and he conjectures that IN COM
hitting himself only to the assertion VI
a few fundamental religious principles ihVol'eu Ill
the common faith of humanity, Woo wished to
r. 10 n inn
for accusations of heresy." This, however appears
IN he n qratuitOus and useless suppOsitlOn. There
is no ground for suspectng the entire sincerity OF
Vico's acceptance of the faith which he protested
His philosophy made no use of theological dala
but proceeded in path of It's own. 1t was not
even founded upon Christianity, observes Professor
Flint and Christianity furnished but little of the
material employed in its constructions III CHRISTIAN
doctrines found conspicuous place III
It, they not derived from theolog-
cal authority but from the common sense of hui
manitv from Plato and Cicero as well as from the
Bible. This being the case. it seems to US entirely
unnecessary TO assume that Vico may have cher
isbed some arriere pens6e of theological dissent
which he feared to express.
The great work of Woo is the "Scienza Nuova,'
The New Science; and the fundamental thought
of that treatise is referable to the conviction that
The entire history of mankind is but the eternal
idea of that history which existed in the divine
mind realized and manifested in actual events
The true philosophy of history lay in the
divine ideal The New Science il essentially
n vindication of the character and wisdom
Of God But in tracing the divine in history Vico
did not lose sight of The human. The plan of his
torv is n nlan which God has ordained and when
man realizes! aud since the divine plan has been
realized through the faculties of human nature, its
character can only be ascettained 10y profound
aud cotnntrlensive study of the various pbases OF
human development The New Science, therefore,
Ia both theology aud u sociology but the two hte
distinct aud independent, The AhHolnte reason
moves ali history from within but moves II hy the
human factors which compose II, The philosophy
at history must he based on tho knowledge
If human nature. Professor Flint develops
the statement of NioO's position with admirable
oearness and presents not only distinct ana
satisfactory resume of the leading Ideas or MS
prncipal treatise but "A complete explanation or
his position with regard to other thinkers, and his
true place in the history of philosopy In the sur
ycy Of the Schema Nuova as well as OF Woo b
other writings, Professor Emit shows an acute
nerception alike of the merits and the defects of the
Italian philosopher and indicates very clearly the
many PARTICULARS III which he anticipated modern
investigators. The range of Nicos genius, he says
"was not universal. NicO no Aristotle or
Leibniz lie was but sorry mathema-
tician. He obviously knew very little about any
department of physical science. lie was not great
metaphyslcian. His strength lay in those depart
ments of knowledge which relate to the workings Oh
the mind and to the moral and political relation
ships and history of man. 1t is IN connection with
comparative and applied psychology, with phi
lology, with mythology, with Jurisprudence with
literary history, and with the philosophy OF his
tory. that his name will be remembered; but IN
this connection his cOmprehensveness and his pro-
fundity were alike admirable. over the whole OF
this vast territory although many Of its provinces
were almost unknown i'll his time, his mind had
ranged, inquired, and theorized, in such way that
many of the conclusions at which he arrived nave
been found in multitude of cases to have been
most wonderful anticipations of theories which
have been established. or which have been rendered
popular only within the present century"