Francesco Carrara (1805-1888)

25. See ib id . . 301.

26. i b i d . . 1097.

The A ge o f the Gods

H aving a cc o u n te d f o r th e e x is te n c e o f th e ’g i a n t s ', V ic o 's n e x t t a s k was to e x p la in why i t was t h a t th e s e c u l t u r e l e s s c r e a t u r e s began g ro p in g tow ard h u m an ity . How were th e y re d u c e d from t h e i r b e s t i a l s t a t e r V ico o b serv ed t h a t th e b e g in n in g o f a l l n a t i o n s ap p ea re d t o be c o n n ec te d w ith r e l i g i o n . A ll n a t i o n s seemed to

27

have Jove o r an e q u i v a l e n t . There w ere a l s o r e p o r t s t h a t th e f i r s t la n g u ag e had 28

been a “lan g u ag e o f th e go d s“ and a l l human n e e d s ap p ea re d t o have a c o rre s p o n d in g 29

god. Vico c o n s id e r e d , t h e r e f o r e , t h a t th e r e was re a s o n to s u s p e c t t h a t th e b e g in n in g o f h i s t o r y was a s s o c ia te d w ith r e l i g i o n . H is own p e rs o n a l e x p e rie n c e

50

had made him aw are o f th e power o f r e l i g i o n . He a rg u e d , t h e r e f o r e , t h a t th e o n ly p o s s ib le f a c t o r w hich c o u ld have s e t th e 'g i a n t s ' on a human c o u rs e was r e l i g i o n :

W herever a p eo p le h a s grown savage in arm s so t h a t human law s have no lo n g e r any p la c e among i t , th e o n ly p o w erfu l means o f r e d u c in g i t i s r e l i g i o n . 51

I t was th e elem en t o f f e a r in p r i m i t i v e r e l i g i o n t h a t re n d e re d i t so e f f e c t - 32

i v e . I t was n o t f e a r o f o th e r men t h a t i n i t i a t e d c i v i l l i f e , b u t f e a r o f a d iv ­ i n i t y :

In t h e i r m o n stro u s sav ag ery and u n b r id le d b e s t i a l freedom th e r e was no means to tame th e fo rm er o r b r i d l e th e l a t t e r b u t th e f r i g h t f u l th o u g h t o f some d i v i n i t y , th e f e a r o f whom . . . i s th e o n ly p o w erfu l means o f r e d u c in g to d u ty a l i b e r t y gone w ild . 53

R e l i g i o n ,o r f e a r o f th e s u p e r n a t u r a l , Vico a rg u e d , was a consequence o f p r im itiv e m an 's i n a b i l i t y to comprehend n a t u r a l phenomena. I t became e f f e c t i v e when th e f i r s t b o l t s o f l i g h t n i n g a p p ea re d a f t e r th e d e lu g e . Vico had o b serv ed

t h a t a l l th e 'J o v e s ' o f th e v a r io u s G e n tile p e o p le s were in some way c o n n ec te d w ith th e sk y , and more s p e c i f i c a l l y w ith l i g h t n i n g :

2 7 . i b i d . . 193, 473-481. 28 . i b i d . . 174.

2 9. i b i d . . 175. 50. See C h . I I I .

51. The New S c ie n c e . 177* See a ls o i b i d . . 8 , 176, 198, 1097*

52. i b i d . . 582, 179« V ico i s h e re c r i t i c i s i n g Thomas Hobbes’ p r o p o s a ls . See The L e v ia th a n . Harmondsworth, 19^8, p p .2 2 5 , 227*

Jove h u r l s h i s b o l t s and f e l l s th e g i a n t s , and e v ery g e n t i l e n a tio n had i t s J o v e . 34

T h is le d him to s u sp e c t t h a t th e o r i g i n s o f th e h i s t o r i c a l p ro c e s s w ere in some way c o n n e c te d w ith l i g h t n i n g . He su g g e ste d t h a t i t was n o t u n t i l some y e a r s a f t e r th e d e lu g e t h a t l i g h t n i n g had a p p e a re d : We p o s t u l a t e , and th e p o s t u l a t e i s r e a s o n a b le , t h a t f o r s e v e r a l hundred y e a r s th e e a r t h , soaked by th e w a te r o f th e u n iv e r s a l f lo o d , s e n t f o r t h no d ry e x h a la tio n s o r m a tte r c a p a b le o f i g n i t ­ in g in th e a i r to produce l i g h t n i n g . 35

56

When th e e a r t h d id d ry o u t and heaven " th u n d e re d and l i g h t e n e d " , th e b e s t i a l men were v e ry much a s to n i s h e d . S in ce th e y d id n o t u n d e rs ta n d t h i s new phenomenon

57

and b ecau se t h e i r m e n ta lity was q u i t e im a g in a tiv e th e y b e lie v e d t h a t th e l i g h t n i n g was th e e f f e c t o f an angry god:

. . . [th e y ] were f r i g h t e n e d and a s to n is h e d by th e g r e a t e f f e c t whose cau se th e y d id n o t know, and r a i s e d t h e i r ey es and became aware o f th e sky. And b e ca u se in such a c a s e . . . th e n a tu r e o f th e human mind le a d s i t to a t t r i b u t e i t s own n a tu r e to th e e f f e c t , and b ecau se i n t h a t s t a t e t h e i r n a tu r e was t h a t o f men a l l r o b u s t b o d ily s t r e n g t h , who e x p re sse d t h e i r v e ry v i o l e n t p a s s io n s by s h o u tin g and g ru m b lin g , th e y p ic tu r e d th e sky to th e m se lv e s a s a g r e a t anim ated body, which in t h a t a s p e c t th e y c a l l e d Jo v e , th e f i r s t god o f th e s o - c a l l e d g e n te s m a io re s . who by th e w h i s t l i n g o f h i s b o l t s and th e n o is e o f h i s th u n d e r was a tte m p tin g to t e l l them so m eth in g . 38

59 I t was in t h i s f a s h io n t h a t Jove th e la w g iv e r , who spoke by n a t u r a l s i g n s , was b o m . W ith h i s b i r t h came r e l i g i o n , t h a t p r a c t i c e w hich s e t b e s t i a l man on h i s c o u rse t o h u m an ity . I t was l i g h t n i n g t h a t gave r i s e to Jo v e , " th e f i r s t

40

human th o u g h t in th e g e n t i l e w o rld " . V ic o , t h e r e f o r e , c o n clu d e d : 41

h u raan itas a fu lm in e c o e p i t .

The second d i s t i n g u i s h i n g a t t r i b u t e o f a human s o c i e t y , m a r r ia g e , was a d i r e c t p ro d u c t o f b e s t i a l m a n 's c o n s c io u s n e s s o f th e d i v i n i t y and h i s in n a te

42

s e n s e o f shame. The th u n d e rin g J o v e , th e y b e lie v e d , was an g ry a t t h e i r v e n e ry .

34 . i b i d . . 193.

3 5. i b i d . . 192.

36. i b i d . . 9. 37 . See C h .V I.

38. The New S c ie n c e . 377.

39* i . e . n a t u r a l phenomena such a s l i g h t n i n g . Hence th e s c ie n c e o f d i v i n a t i o n . See i b i d . , 379*

4 0. i b i d . . 4 4 7. 4 1 . Opere I I I , p .86.

I n t h e i r shame and d e s i r e to av o id th e open s k i e s ( th e w a tc h fu l eye o f J o v e)

th e y e x p re ss e d t h e i r c o n cu p isc en c e in a d i f f e r e n t manner:

The new d i r e c t i o n to o k th e form o f f o r c i b l y s e i z i n g t h e i r women . . . d ra g g in g them in to t h e i r c a v e s , an d , in o rd e r to have i n te r c o u r s e w ith them , k e e p in g them th e r e a s p e r p e tu a l l i f e l o n g com panions. T hus, w ith th e f i r s t human, which i s to say c h a s te and r e l i g i o u s , c o u p lin g s , th e y gave a b e g in n in g t o m atrim ony. T hereby th e y became c e r t a i n f a t h e r s o f c e r t a i n c h i l d r e n by c e r t a i n women. Thus th e y founded th e f a m i l i e s . . . 45

V ico m a in ta in e d t h a t th e t h i r d d ia g n o s t ic a t t r i b u t e o f a human s o c i e t y , t h a t o f b u r i a l , emerged from th e s t a b i l i s i n g in f lu e n c e b ro u g h t a b o u t by r e l i g i o n and m atrim ony. These two p r a c t i c e s i n s t i g a t e d a more s e d e n ta ry mode o f e x is t e n c e . B u r ia l o f th e d e ad , t h e r e f o r e , became a n e c e s s i t y :

A fte rw a rd s , th e g o d - f e a r in g g i a n t s . . . must have become s e n s i b l e o f th e s te n c h from th e c o r p s e s o f t h e i r dead r o t t i n g on th e ground n e a rb y , and must have begun to b u ry t h e m . . . . 44

I n t h i s f a s h i o n , th e n , V ico u rg ed t h a t th e custom s n e c e s s a ry f o r human s o c ie ty em erged. They had r a d i c a l co n seq u en ces b o th i n th e s o c i a l and economic s p h e r e s .