Keys to Vico's Metaphysics

<p>Giambattista Vico a philosopher of notable complexity develops a thought that demands constant and careful rereading to fully grasp his most essential and celebrated theses. He employs reason in the Italic sense-as a continual process of gathering aimed at understanding though understanding itself remains in Kantian terms merely a regulative ideal. One of the main challenges in approaching his work lies in the Baroque character of his prose which is often clearer in Latin than in Italian. Texts such as <em>De antiquissima italorum sapientia</em> and <em>De nostri temporis studiorum ratione</em> are more accessible than his mature work the <em>Scienza Nuova</em>. Understanding his philosophy requires patience and often the support of his interpreters.</p><p>This document focuses on <em>De antiquissima italorum sapientia</em> a work that continues to attract scholarly interest. It takes the form of notes rather than formal lectures inspired by Horace's idea: We aim at the heavens in our folly (<em>Carmina</em> 1.3)-meaning that even if vain humans must attempt to grasp the infinite using their limited finite concepts as metaphysical animals. The content was developed within the context of an undergraduate philosophy course at Universidad Veracruzana which explains the structure and bibliography. Therefore this is not a systematic treatise on Vico's metaphysics but a series of interpretative keys designed to aid engagement with his philosophical vision.</p><p><em>De antiquissima</em> is essential for understanding Vico's metaphysics which breaks from scholastic and Cartesian substantialism (centered on the concept of <em>res</em>) by introducing the <em>verum-factum</em> principle-linking truth to the human mind's creative action-and the idea of <em>conatus</em> presenting reality as a dynamic process. As Lomonaco notes this metaphysics anticipates the <em>Scienza Nuova</em> placing history and the human mind at its center.</p>