Author

Publication

1999 - Harcourt Brace, San Diego, California

Language

English

Word Count

32,250 words, Guess

Page Count

129 pages

Identifiers

and 3 more
  • Library of Congress Control Number99015149
  • Better World Books9780156007511
  • Open LibraryOL32968M

Classifications

  • DDC401
  • LCCP106 .E29 1999
  • LCCP106.E29 1999

Description

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.

First Sentence

Two very beautiful naked girls are crouched facing each other.

Subjects

Links

Other Editions

  • Serendipities: language & lunacyHarcourt Brace1999-01-01

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