Alan Sokal
Paperback | Pages: 320 pages Rating: 3.92 | 1701 Users | 152 Reviews
Define Books During Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals' Abuse of Science
| Original Title: | Impostures Intellectuelles |
| ISBN: | 0312204078 (ISBN13: 9780312204075) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Commentary In Favor Of Books Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals' Abuse of Science
In 1996, Alan Sokal published an essay in the hip intellectual magazine Social Text parodying the scientific but impenetrable lingo of contemporary theorists. Here, Sokal teams up with Jean Bricmont to expose the abuse of scientific concepts in the writings of today's most fashionable postmodern thinkers. From Jacques Lacan and Julia Kristeva to Luce Irigaray and Jean Baudrillard, the authors document the errors made by some postmodernists using science to bolster their arguments and theories. Witty and closely reasoned, Fashionable Nonsense dispels the notion that scientific theories are mere "narratives" or social constructions, and explored the abilities and the limits of science to describe the conditions of existence.
List Epithetical Books Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals' Abuse of Science
| Title | : | Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals' Abuse of Science |
| Author | : | Alan Sokal |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 320 pages |
| Published | : | October 29th 1999 by Picador (first published October 1st 1997) |
| Categories | : | Philosophy. Science. Nonfiction. Politics. Sociology. Criticism. Psychology |
Rating Epithetical Books Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals' Abuse of Science
Ratings: 3.92 From 1701 Users | 152 ReviewsJudgment Epithetical Books Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals' Abuse of Science
This is a book that serves its modest purpose reasonably well, but after finishing it, I was left mostly wondering whether it was a purpose that needed to be served.First, a note on context -- this book was co-authored by Alan Sokal, the perpetrator of the (in)famous Sokal Hoax. I won't describe or weigh in on the hoax here, since there has been a lot said about it elsewhere (this article by Michael Bérubé is a good even-handed retrospective), and also because this book is a much less inherentlyPostmodern medicine that tastes good!This book will keep you laughing for hours. Its about The Sokal Hoax, a phony article made up of esoteric scientific jargon applied to social issues through convolutions of logic and obfuscated language. Sokal then infiltrated postmodernist turf when he got his paper published in one of their premier journals, Social Text: A daring and controversial leader in the field of cultural studies. The paper was an instant smash throughout postmodern circles, later to
Oh, how badly the Left needs more books like this, boldly championing scientific objectivity and facts over political or spiritual ideologies that abuse science to gain legitimacy and further their agendas.The story of the origin of this book is a playful one: the author submitted a parody article, called Transgressing the Boundaries, to a postmodern scientific journal. In it he demonstrates every abuse of science he's seen, conflating subjects that have nothing to do with each other,
A must read for all who are interested in social science
One will never be grateful enough to Sokal and Bricmont for pointing fingers towards a naked emperor. Being French, I know far too well how postmodernism/poststructuralism/social constructivism (or whatever other stupid name a certain intelligentsia wants to call itself) damaged a whole field of academics and, as such, modern intellectual life and debate. Stemming from the like of Lacan, Deleuze, Kristeva, Baudrillard, Irigaray, Latour, Virilio and co (to name just the ones targeted here) there
These guys wrote an article filled with nonsense and passed it off as postmodern insights. It was published by morons and then they went on to expose continental thinkers for how full of it they are. I loved it. Social Science and the Humanities have been conquered by these useless preachers of verbal crap for so long. All books like this one have a massive thumbs up! More important than ever in the age of Trumpism. It reads bloody well, too!
It's sad to consider just how badly we still need books like this. More than two decades after its publication (1998) following the Sokal affaire (1996), "fashionable nonsense" still manages to lure people in by merging pseudo-scientific ramblings with grievances.When I first encountered texts from the likes of Deleuze, Lacan, and Irigaray as a philosophy student, my response was a mixture of puzzlement, amusement, and an overall "not my cup of tea" attitude. It seemed like harmless little fun,
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