What did Giambattista Vico mean by “pseudomyths” in historical study?

In the context of his historical methodology, Giambattista Vico used the term “pseudomyths” to describe inappropriate or falsifying interpretations that historians often impose upon past ages.1

Vico argued that scholars frequently fall into the “conceit of scholars,” which is the erroneous assumption that primitive humans possessed the same worldviews, mental processes, and cultural values as those of the Enlightenment era. By projecting the cultural ethos of their own time onto the past, historians create these “pseudomyths,” which distort the reality of how earlier societies functioned.21

To avoid this, Vico emphasized that historians must instead enter imaginatively into the spirit of past ages. He believed that to truly understand history, one must recognize that human nature is not static but evolves through different stages—such as the age of gods, heroes, and men—each with its own unique modes of expression and consciousness. By re-creating the specific outlooks and attitudes that informed these past periods, rather than applying modern abstract formulas, the historian can achieve a more accurate understanding of the “world of nations” that humans have created.213