53 / 298
Vico’s Ring
53
other aspects of the Vico-Bodin divide, see M. Vanzulli,
La presenza intermitten-
te della ragion di stato nel pensiero politico vichiano
, in
Razionalità e modernità in Vico,
cit., pp.
287-305, p. 292, footnote 21.
53
G. Mazzotta,
The New Map of the World
, cit., p. 169.
54
For a further discussion, see
ibid.
, pp. 170-173. It may be instructive to
compare this part of
Scienza nuova
1744 (G. Vico,
La Scienza nuova. Le tre edizio-
ni,
cit., pp. 1226-1228) with the earlier 1730 edition (
ibid.
, p. 733). In 1730, Vi-
co relates the “Platonic idea” to the abstract (non-corporeal) notion of “law”
developed by Athenian citizen-legislators, and this genetic insight is consider-
ably expanded in 1744. The significance of this “improvement/refinement” is
also indicated by the fact that the 1744 chapter heading adds the phrase
“How, among the Greeks, Philosophy Was Born of the Laws”.
It is a different matter, and story, how Greek philosophy escaped the grav-
itational pull of its juridical origins and took off on a trajectory all its own, not
entirely unanalogous to Vico’s own philosophical journey, or, for that matter,
modern Vico studies going off in various directions that are outside and be-
yond theories of justice, and political science. The richness of disciplines in-
volved can only be acknowledged here, as our focus will stay fairly narrow,
and thus unavoidably will keep “out of focus” most of the larger panorama of
Vichian thought.
55
Vico’s intended meaning of “philosophy” and “philology” will be dis-
cussed below.
56
As with other attributions that Vico makes in his work, their absolute
accuracy (if such accuracy can even be achieved by anyone) is not at issue, ra-
ther the substance of the argument. For simplicity, we will continue using
Bodin’s name.
It should be noted that the “Bodin material” is not found in the 1730 edi-
tion. Here is a comparative table of contents of the corresponding parts of
Book IV that shows that the Bodin material is the most significant difference,
highlighted in italics together with the immediately preceding paragraphs, §§
1004-1008, which constitute the “set-up piece” for the polemic that follows:
1730 edition:
Three types of guarding of the aristocratic republics (of the
confines, institutions, laws). Corollary: That the ancient Roman law was a se-
rious poem, etc. Final proofs of the truth of these principles
1744 edition:
Proofs from the properties of the heroic aristocracies. Guard-
ing of the confines, institutions, laws.
Other proofs taken from the tempering of a
succeeding commonwealth by the preceding one. An eternal natural royal law. Refutation of
the political theory of Bodin.
Final proofs to confirm the course of nations. Corol-
lary: That the Roman law was a serious poem, etc.