Synopsis
Unlocking the riddles of history, Umberto Eco explores
the "linguistics of the lunatic", stories told by
scholars, scientists, poets, fanatics, and ordinary people in
order to make sense of the world. The bewildering anecdotes
and scholarly rigor entertain readers with a passion for the
curious history of languages.
Umberto Eco's latest work unlocks the riddles of history
in an exploration of the "linguistics of the
lunatic," stories told by scholars, scientists, poets,
fanatics, and ordinary people in order to make sense of the
world. Exploring the "Force of the False," Eco
uncovers layers of mistakes that have shaped human history,
such as Columbus's assumption that the world was much smaller
than it is, leading him to seek out a quick route to the East
via the West and thus fortuitously "discovering"
America. In a careful unveiling of the fabulous and the
false, Eco shows us how serendipities - unanticipated truths
- often spring from mistaken ideas. From Leibniz's belief
that the I Ching illustrated the principles of calculus to
Marco Polo's mistaking a rhinoceros for a unicorn, Eco tours
the labyrinth of intellectual history, illuminating the ways
in which we project the familiar onto the strange.
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