Vico's Theory of the Causes of Historical Change

Founded in 1966, The Institute For Cultural Research brought together an eclectic group of individuals – from the sciences, the arts, business, government, and all manner of other disciplines.


Established under the leadership of the writer and thinker Idries Shah, ICR considered profound questions facing human society, seeking answers by tackling problems in new ways. Or rather, as Shah insisted – in an ancient way. Such systems were employed routinely by human civilisation, until recent divisions and sub-divisions disrupted well-honed methods of advancement and progression.


ICR’s Monographs were written by invitation of the board of trustees – ranging widely in subject from the importance of storytelling to secret societies in West Africa. An extraordinary cornucopia of published work, they form a unique resource in their own right, and are being made available by The Idries Shah Foundation.