The New Science of Virtues

Although Vico’s New Science (NS) has been interpreted from the standpoint of practical philosophy, his treatment of moral virtues has largely been overlooked. I show the pivotal role they play in the NS, where the history of humankind is the story of how vices and virtues unfold, and the domain of free will is centered on the possibility of making virtues of the passions. This sheds new light on such notions as the “heterogony of ends”; the relationship between “bestioni” and humankind; and the threat of the “barbarism of reflection”. Also, it allows us to focus on fictional, mythological and historical figures, which are exemplary for their virtues/vices and which provide an insight into the way virtues shape the stages of history. After presenting an overview of some of Vico’s sources, I argue that he engages in a close dialogue with the Aristotelian tradition and interprets moral virtues as a historical framework and a hermeneutical tool, suitable for assessing the moral stages of human historical evolution on the route to and from civilisation.