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Battle in the Mind Fields
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John A. Goldsmith
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2019
About this book
“We frequently see one idea appear in one discipline as if it were new, when it migrated from another discipline, like a mole that had dug under a fence and popped up on the other side.”
Taking note of this phenomenon, John Goldsmith and Bernard Laks embark on a uniquely interdisciplinary history of the genesis of linguistics, from nineteenth-century currents of thought in the mind sciences through to the origins of structuralism and the ruptures, both political and intellectual, in the years leading up to World War II. Seeking to explain where contemporary ideas in linguistics come from and how they have been justified, Battle in the Mind Fields investigates the porous interplay of concepts between psychology, philosophy, mathematical logic, and linguistics. Goldsmith and Laks trace theories of thought, self-consciousness, and language from the machine age obsession with mind and matter to the development of analytic philosophy, behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, positivism, and structural linguistics, emphasizing throughout the synthesis and continuity that has brought about progress in our understanding of the human mind. Arguing that it is impossible to understand the history of any of these fields in isolation, Goldsmith and Laks suggest that the ruptures between them arose chiefly from social and institutional circumstances rather than a fundamental disparity of ideas.
Taking note of this phenomenon, John Goldsmith and Bernard Laks embark on a uniquely interdisciplinary history of the genesis of linguistics, from nineteenth-century currents of thought in the mind sciences through to the origins of structuralism and the ruptures, both political and intellectual, in the years leading up to World War II. Seeking to explain where contemporary ideas in linguistics come from and how they have been justified, Battle in the Mind Fields investigates the porous interplay of concepts between psychology, philosophy, mathematical logic, and linguistics. Goldsmith and Laks trace theories of thought, self-consciousness, and language from the machine age obsession with mind and matter to the development of analytic philosophy, behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, positivism, and structural linguistics, emphasizing throughout the synthesis and continuity that has brought about progress in our understanding of the human mind. Arguing that it is impossible to understand the history of any of these fields in isolation, Goldsmith and Laks suggest that the ruptures between them arose chiefly from social and institutional circumstances rather than a fundamental disparity of ideas.
Author / Editor information
John Goldsmith is Edward Carson Waller Distinguished Service Professor of Linguistics and Computer Science at the University of Chicago. Bernard Laks is Senior Member of the Institut Universitaire de France and university professor of language sciences, phonology, and cognitive sciences at University of Paris Ouest.
Reviews
“In this adventurous and animated volume, Goldsmith and Laks invite us to collaborate with many forgotten and misinterpreted figures who share present passions about the importance of understanding the nature of language and the mind. Reminding us that many earlier thinkers have, in their own inspired and often idiosyncratic ways, anticipated our present directions and identified commanding alternatives, the coauthors demonstrate that the texture and content of older ideas and controversies are an indispensable and rewarding resource for contemporary research at a time of significant reevaluation for the guiding concepts, models, and methods in the field.”
— Farrell Ackerman, University of California, San Diego“We often pay a nod to the fact that our scientific models are molded by the historical and geographic environments in which they are forged. This book provides the authoritative and compelling argumentation that linguistic theory (and, eventually, the cognitive sciences) would have been otherwise if not for Napoleon, the Gospels, positivism, geology, Eurasianism, and numerous other underappreciated currents that influenced the dissolution and re-formation of the intellectual group identities that characterize two centuries of research in the language sciences.”
— Andrew Nevins, University College London“Considering that this is really a book about linguistics, the attention and space it gives to other fields is unusual and impressive. I don’t think there is any other work in the mind sciences that compares to the depth and breadth of this one. Battle in the Mind Fields is highly informative, rich, engaging, and a lot of fun to read.”
— Ida Toivonen, Carleton University"The research into this volume is quite breathtaking, running deeply into the nineteenth century and broadly across the disciplines to chart out the foundation upon which twentieth-century linguistics builds. [Goldsmith and Laks] give us characters and feelings as well as concepts. . . . You should read Battle in the Mind Fields. I cannot imagine any linguist, or aspiring linguist, or anyone with even a mild interest in the history of thought, not coming away feeling hugely gratified that they spent their time between the covers of this book."
— Randy Allen Harris, Language"John Goldsmith and Bernard Laks have written a wonderful book. Original and forceful in its methodology, conscious of the challenge it represents for its potential readers, Battle in the Mind Fields is all at once convincing, coherent, and entertaining. . . . Blending methods from the history of ideas, intellectual history, sociology of science, as well as a networked approach to the study of intellectual and cultural transfers, Goldsmith and Laks successfully produce a dense, lively fresco that both demonstrates and makes the case for the resolutely interdisciplinary, transnational and contextual approach to historiography they advocate."
— Patrick Flack, Historiographia Linguistica"Battle in the Mind Fields offers informative, engaging discussions of the topics and scholars examined, while the consideration of ideas and figures from related disciplines further enhances its value. The book will bring to light some events, ideas, and scholars that perhaps have not received the attention and praise due to them, and which lend a fresh perspective on some established issues."
— Canadian Journal of LinguisticsTopics
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Frontmatter
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Contents
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Preface
ix -
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Chapter 1. Battle in the Mind Fields
1 -
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Chapter 2. The Nineteenth Century and Language
53 -
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Chapter 3. Philosophy and Logic in the Nineteenth Century
147 -
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Chapter 4. The Mind Has a Body: Psychology and Intelligent Machines in the Nineteenth Century
191 -
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Chapter 5. Psychology, 1900–1940
239 -
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Chapter 6. American Linguistics, 1900–1940
311 -
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Chapter 7. Philosophy, 1900–1940
373 -
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Chapter 8. Logic, 1900–1940
435 -
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Chapter 9. European Structuralism, 1920–1940
489 -
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Chapter 10. Conclusions and Prospects
573 -
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Notes
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References
677 -
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Index
715
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
March 20, 2019
eBook ISBN:
9780226550947
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
656
Other:
27 color plates, 2 line drawings, 4 tables
eBook ISBN:
9780226550947
Keywords for this book
linguistics; cognition; structuralism; psychology; philosophy; logic; thought; self consciousness; mind; matter; behaviorism; gestalt; positivism; neuroscience; mentalism; materialism; deep time; boole; frege; russell; machines; homeland; functionalism; edward sapir; leonard bloomfield; husserl; wittgenstein; empiricism; phonology; prague linguistic circle; roman jakobson; nikolai trubetzkoy; mathematics; typology; nonfiction; history
Audience(s) for this book
Professional and scholarly;
