Natural Law Theories are influenced by particular cultural trends and philosophical traditions. The Italian trend is characterized, on the one hand, by the existence of a normative ethics grounded on human reason and inspired by the Christian faith according to Aquinas' doctrine, and, on the other hand, by a philosophy of history concerning processes of civilization according to Giambattista Vico's thought. These two cultural roots have developed in parallel and often in opposition, so Italian

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... atural Law Theories have been attracted now by rationalism, then by historicism without arriving at a point of balance. In the age of constitutionalism, the relevance of inner principles of positive law appears to allow their fruitful convergence.