The Socio-Political View about the Primitive World in Giambattista Vico’s Thought

Abstract

El presente ensayo pone de relieve cómo Vico fue uno de los pensadores modernos que se planteó el objetivo de reconstruir la historia del mundo primitivo. A diferencia de varios autores que le precedieron y de otros contemporáneos, el filósofo napolitano mostró que el mundo originario, en lugar de idílico, se hallaba afligido por el miedo, la angustia y las necesidades básicas. Sin embargo, lo que ante todo define a Vico es el hecho de representar el mundo primitivo no como un bloque fijo y unitario, sino como un mundo constituido en diferentes fases históricas y por conflictos sociales y de clase. Al carecer de documentos escritos, Vico elaboró una reconstrucción de la historia basada en una nueva y revolucionaria teoría de mitos que, al fundarse en la creatividad inducida por la fantasía, son denominados “universali fantastici” (universales fantásticos).

This essay emphasizes how Vico was one of the modern philosophers to set himself the goal to reconstruct the history of the primitive world. Differently from several authors who preceded him and also other contemporary thinkers, the Neapolitan philosopher showed that the world of the origin wasn’t idyllic, but it was affected by fear, anguish and basic needs. What mainly characterizes Vico, however, is the fact that he represented the primitive world not as a unitary and fixed block, but as a world made of different historical phases and of class and social conflicts. As there were no written documents, Vico elaborated a reconstruction of history, basing it on a new and revolutionary theory of myths which, being based on creativity induced by fantasy, are called “universali fantastici” (fantastic universals).