Vico's New Science: The Unity of Piety and Wisdom
ABSTRACT: In Vico’s New Science wisdom is understood in a double sense. On the one hand, wisdom means the poetic wisdom that provides intelligibility for the peoples of the nations during their early stages of development. On the other hand, wisdom means the noetic knowledge gained by the Vichian scientist who contemplates concrete historicity in the light of the New Science. By means of an examination of three principle aspects of Vico’s science, and by looking to his conception of the origin of the most rudimentary institutions of humanity, primordial piety— fear of the mythic other— is shown to be the origin of poetic wisdom. And, by focusing on the necessity of surmounting the conceit of scholars and the conceit of nations for a science of universal history, philosophical piety— openness to the wholly Other— is revealed as the ground of philosophical wisdom. This paper sets out to show how Vico’s science of the principles of humanity is, at the same time, a science of the unity of piety and wisdom.
In the final paragraph of his magnum opus, the New Science, Giambattista Vico (1668-1744) provides a summarizing statement concerning the overall character of the work:
Insomma, da tutto ciò che si Š quest' opera ragionato, Š da finalmente conchiudersi che questa Scienza porta indivisiblmente seco lo studio della piet…, e che, se non siesi pio, non si può daddovero esser saggio. [To sum up, from all that has been set forth in this work, it is to be finally concluded that this science carries inseparably with it the study of piety, and that he who is not pious cannot be truly wise.]
Why did Vico conclude the New Science with the assertion that, from everything set forth in this work, this science carries inseparably with it the study of piety? And why did he choose to end the New Science with the declaration: "He who is not pious, cannot be truly wise"? In what sense is Vico's New Science a science of piety? Vico's conception of the ideal eternal history— the universal pattern of the histories of all the nations— signifies a passage from the traditional metaphysical conception of history, as the history of beings, to a metaphysic or science of the certain as the certain reflects or embodies the common nature of nations. This common nature of nations, moreover, is seen in the light of divine providence.
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In what is noted as one of Plato first accounts, we become acquainted with a very intriguing man known as Socrates; a man, whose ambition to seek knowledge, inevitably leaves a significant impact on humanity. Most of all, it is methodologies of attaining this knowledge that makes him so mesmerizing. This methodology is referred to as Socratic irony, in literature. In any case, I will introduce the argument that Plato's Euthyphro is extremely indicative of this type of methodology, for the reason being that: Socrates's portrays a sense of intellectual humility.
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In this discussion I will argue that during the Scientific Revolution, Galileo was indeed a cynical opportunist. He was also a patient genius who, by luck, was given a chance to become an engineer, but he died a coward with the impact of a modern Socrates.
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“Walter Elias Disney was born December 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois, to Elias and Flora Disney…Walt’s parents …decided to move closer to family on a farm outside of Marceline, Missouri, in 1906…It was here that he began to draw animals and indulge his imagination. Walt’s exposure to rural life influenced him throughout his career.” (Jolley) When reading about Walt’s early history, it’s noticeable that he came from very humble circumstances. The places he lived, and the experiences he had, shaped his life dramatically. He was an imaginative and hardworking person from the start. “ Walt was only nine years old when he had to get up at 3:30 a.m., seven days a week, to fold and deliver papers for two hours before attending…school” (Jolley) By working at such a young age, life lessons of perseverance and dedication was instilled into his values at a very early.
Smith, Morgan. "More Schools Choose to Teach Abstinence-Plus." The New York Times 16 Sept. 2011, National ed.: A21A. The New York Times. 15 Sept. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
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National Abstinence Education Association. “Comprehensive Sex Education Is Inappropriate And Harmful.” Do Abstinence Programs Work?. Christina Fisanick. Michigan. Greenhaven Press, 2010. 33-42. Print.