VICO, Giovannia Battista

(1668-1744)

   Italian ROMAN CATHOLIC philosopher and critic of Descartes who developed the first modern PHILOSOPHY of HISTORY in his Principles of a New Science (1725). He gave close attention to language and MYTH and insisted that historical periods must be seen as coherent wholes where the various aspects of SOCIETY affect each other. His work deeply influenced HERDER, HEGEL, MARX, CROCE and COLLINGWOOD.