{"product_id":"a-brief-history-of-the-andrea-moro-9780262552059","title":"A Brief History of the Verb To Be","description":"\u003cb\u003eA journey through linguistic time and space, from Aristotle through the twentieth century's \"era of syntax,\" in search of a dangerous verb and its significance.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBeginning with the early works of Aristotle, the interpretation of the verb \u003ci\u003eto be\u003c\/i\u003e runs through Western linguistic thought like Ariadne's thread. As it unravels, it becomes intertwined with philosophy, metaphysics, logic, and even with mathematics--so much so that Bertrand Russell showed no hesitation in proclaiming that the verb\u003ci\u003e to be\u003c\/i\u003e was a disgrace to the human race.\u003cbr\u003eWith the conviction that this verb penetrates modern linguistic thinking, creating scandal in its wake and, like a Trojan horse of linguistics, introducing disruptive elements that lead us to rethink radically the most basic structure of human language--the sentence--Andrea Moro reconstructs this history. From classical Greece to the dueling masters of medieval logic through the revolutionary geniuses from the seventeenth century to the Enlightenment, and finally to the twentieth century--when linguistics became a driving force and model for neuroscience--the plot unfolds like a detective story, culminating in the discovery of a formula that solves the problem even as it raises new questions--about language, evolution, and the nature and structure of the human mind. While Moro never resorts to easy shortcuts, \u003ci\u003eA Brief History of the Verb To Be \u003c\/i\u003eisn't burdened with inaccessible formulas and always refers to the broader picture of mind and language. In this way it serves as an engaging introduction to a new field of cutting-edge research.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Andrea Moro\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0262552051\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780262552059\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e MIT Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/21\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.79lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.38w x 0.69d","brand":"Andrea Moro","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45897901015295,"sku":"9780262552059","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_7947abf4-f41a-41b2-bb73-4cb968c4baba.jpg?v=1721375023","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/a-brief-history-of-the-andrea-moro-9780262552059","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}