Abstract

The «acerrimus Malebrancius». Vico, the De antiquissima Italorum sapientia and Malebranche. The article analyzes the contribution of Malebranche’s thought to the formation of the Vichian metaphysics as it is expressed in the De antiquissima Italorum sapientia. In particular, the comparison with Malebranche’s philosophy allows Vico to define three fundamental issues: bringing back the Cartesian cogito to the simple function of consciousness; reaching a correct explanation of the concept of animi mens; determining the possibilities and the limits of our knowledge.