Quote by Giambattista Vico: “Human institutions are not born, but made.”

This short but powerful statement emphasizes human agency in shaping society. Vico asserts that our social structures, laws, and norms are not natural occurrences but conscious creations by people throughout history, highlighting our responsibility.

This core idea from Vico underpins his New Science, positing that since humans create their own social world, they can truly understand it – a foundational concept for historical and social studies, empowering human inquiry.

Italian philosopher born in Naples in 1668, whose New Science proposed a cyclical theory of history organized around recurring stages of human cultural development. Largely ignored in his own lifetime, he was rediscovered in the 19th century and recognized as a forerunner of anthropology, sociology, and the philosophy of history. His ideas influenced Hegel, Marx, and James Joyce.