Giambattista Vico

Giambattista Vico (Naples, June 23, 1668 - Naples, January 23, 1744) was an Italian philosopher, historian, and jurist of the Enlightenment. He criticized modern rationalism, favoring classical antiquity instead. He coined the Latin aphorism "Verum esse ipsum factum" ("What is true is precisely what is made"), anticipating constructivist epistemology. His main work, "Scienza nuova" (1725), organizes the humanities as a single science that explains the historical cycles of societies.