¿Cómo tratar un “asunto nuevo”? La relación entre la tópica y la crítica en Del método de estudios de nuestro tiempo de Vico

In On the Study Methods of Our Time, Vico faces what he calls a new issue: which study method is the most appropriate, that of the Ancient or that of the Modern thinkers. The former is represented by the art of topics, the latter by the art of criticism. The aim of this article is to show the way in which Vico faces the methodological monism that is in vogue in the Naples of his time. After an initial formulation of the verum factum, the Neapolitan reconfigures the issue of the method for the different sciences and areas of knowledge, focusing his attention on those that deal with human behavior: prudence and jurisprudence. It is regarding these two that Vico will stress the necessity to articulate both methods of study, namely the art of topics and the art of criticism. If, in relation to prudence, the art of topics determine the art of criticism, in relation to jurisprudence however, the relation is inverted. This reversion will determine the path of The New Science.