新科学

TheFirstNewSciencegivesaclearaccountofthebasicthemeofVice’smaturephilosophy：thebeliefthatfunctionswhicharenecessaryforthemaintenanceofhumansocietyandculture-includingphilosophy-arealsohistoricallyconditioningVicochallengesthetraditionalviewthatphilosophycanclaimanhistoricallyindependentviewpointfromwhichtomakeitspronouncements,thusraisingthequestionwhetherviablephilosophicaltheoriescaneverbemorethananintellectualexpressionoftheunderlyingbeliefsofanage,TheFirstNewScienceisthefirstofVico’sworksinwhichhewasable,bywritinginItalian,bothtoexpoundandtodemonstratehisconceptionofthephilosophicalimportanceofetymology.ThisCambridgeTextseditionisthefirstcompleteEnglishtranslationofthe1725text.Accompaniedbyaglossary,bibliography,chronologyofVico’slifeandexpositoryintroduction,itmakesthisimportantworkaccessibletostudentsforthefirsttime.LEONPOMPA,isEmeritusProfessorofPhilosophyoftheUniversityofBirmingham，Hehaspublishedoverahundredarticlesandbooksinthefieldsofphilosophyofhistory,epistemology,thehistoryofphilosophyandidealistphilosophy.HisworksincludeVico：astudyoftheNewScience(Cambridge1977：2ndedn.1990)HeisalsothetranslatorandeditorofVico：SelectedWritings(Cambridge,1982)