Metafisica e storia in Vico. Motivi agostiniani nel Diritto universale

The thesis reads some fundamental Giambattista Vico’s philosophical themes researching in Neapolitan’s works the presence of Saint Augustine, source not much investigated in the very wide Vichian historiography. The attention is addressed prevalently to the juridical works where Augustine’s influence is more evident. Even if these works are less investigated, theoretical perspectives of the Scienza nuova clearly emerge in them. The analysis of the texts highlights how the reading of De civitate Dei orients Vico in the period in which he defines his philosophical proposal in opposition to the modern theoreticians of natural law and especially to Grotius. Even if the explicit quotations are not so numerous, the thesis documents the influence of Augustine’s perspectives on Vico’s forma mentis, individualizing evident theoretical and theological references. First of all, also in the differences of context and finalities, for Vico, the Augustine’s De civitate Dei represents a reflection model both philosophical and philological. The Augustinian masterpiece offers to the Neapolitan philosopher a huge quantity of historical and erudite material and, at the same time, a perspective which orients the events towards an aim. A certain importance is given to the Augustinian mediation of Varro’s thought; in particular the principle of «formula naturae» and the matter of civil theology played an important role in the formulation of some Vico’s doctrines. Through these two topics are showed the continuity and the differences between Vico and Augustine. Common to the two authors is the reference to an eternal order, to the biblical themes of the original fall, of the Flood and of the giants, themes that Augustine treats like a theologian prevalently for pastorals aims and that in Vico become the interpretative criterion to distinguish sacred from profane history and make of the second one the preferential object of his research. Vico does not refuse the revelation, on the contrary he defends the Holy Scriptures from those «impious» thesis which, between the Sixth and the Seventh centuries, criticized his authority. Like a modern philosopher he wants to show, through the history of the Gentiles, the religiousness of human soul as such. At this aim are connected the arguments about the consciousness that reveals itself in the sentiment of divinity’s fear and in the principles of common sense. From an historical and juridical point of view, it is showed the exemplary function that Augustine and Vico gave to the roman history and law. In the events of the Romans we can find paradigmatic motives and rules in order to understand and describe foundation, development and decline of every civilizations. Common to both authors is the admiration for Romans’ virtues, but different is their attitudes towards roman religion that Augustine accuses of idolatry, obscenity, superstition and anthropomorphism whereas Vico reads like a way used by Providence to lead the fallen man to the civil orders. Eventually the thesis shows that, at a metaphysical level, there are interesting connections between Vichian and Neoplatonic reflection. In this case too, it is possible to realize, even in lack of explicit references, an Augustinian mediation stressed in the theme of the mens and of its ontological foundation in God. After all the research highlights, so to say, a hidden relation that, in different contests, puts the two philosophers in front of similar questions. But anyway the answers are often different, in the same philosophical tradition, Christian Platonism, Augustine and Vico express different demands: theological-apologetic the first one, anthropological-juridical and historical the second one. For Augustine, man gets to wisdom through interiority. Feeding Spirit’ life, the mens moves towards the Good and achieves its own wish of Truth and Happiness. In Augustinian perspective, time, free from waste, is the prefiguration of eternity and history is the place of expectation and hope. In the humanist Vico, wisdom expresses itself like poiesis and history is the horizon where the «smith», human will, cooperating with the «queen», the Divine Providence, gives life to the world of nations.