Giambattista Vico and the principles of cultural psychology

Abstract

The Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico developed a theoretical framework for the study of human sciences that exerted a strong influence on psychology and other human sciences. He backed the notion of the unity of knowledge about human mind and culture, including history, linguistics, philosophy, philology, epistemology, psychology, and for the first time proposed a method for their study that he ambitiously called ‘new science’. The article presents an overview of Vico’s thought and discusses some of the main axioms of his theoretical system. His critique of Cartesianism and the alternative epistemology he outlined are put forward as a thoughtful tool for reflection on contemporary psychological science. Finally, this retrospective look at Vico's ideas provides useful insights for a programmatic view of cultural psychology.