Vico's Axioms: The Geometry of the Human World
Giambattista Vico's major work, The New Science, initially received little attention from European thinkers. It was only in the 19th century when writers such as Coleridge and Thomas Arnold became interested in it and finally in this century, through Benedetto Croce and R.G. Collingwood, that Vico's importance in philosophy was assured. Goetsch (philosophy, Eckerd Coll.) begins with an examination of the system of thought that underpins the 114 axioms forming the basis of The New Science, arguing against thinkers like Isaiah Berlin and Alasdair MacIntyre who see little coherence in Vico's "science." Goetsch argues instead that Vico "roots his science in the human world, finding his inspiration in a philosophical recovery of ancient rhetoric that is yet cognizant of the modern age." Goetsch's interpretation of Vico is certainly welcome in its attempt to view The New Science from a fresh angle and may well result in more new work being done on Vico's writings. Recommended for all academic collections, particularly those with concentrations in epistemology and the philosophy of history.?Terry Skeats, Bishop's Univ. Lib., Lennoxville, QuebecCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.