DE MENTE HEROICA, OR, THE RESCUE OF DIVERSITY. The aim of this article is to situate Vico’s oration De mente heroica in the framework of the Neapolitan philosopher’s academic activity. Vico’s recruitment as a professor of rhetoric, his relationships with the city’s progressive cultural and political circles, the composition of his inaugural orations, and the role of Descartes in his thought are among the topics that are considered.