Sir Isaiah Berlin, formerly Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at Oxford and now President of Wolfson College, talks about the Italian thinker and philosopher of history and culture, Gianbattista Vico (1688-1744).

'A great man of genius, a kind of abandoned quarry of marvellous ideas. Vico is a remarkable case of what is normally regarded as the romantic myth. namely a poor. neglected scholar, a man of genius struggling against adversity in his private life. who was not recognised by his contemporaries and not recognised for a great many years afterwards.'