Recommended today
"Fashionable Empty Talk"
Sokal waited
Zhejiang University Press, 2022
In 1996, Alan Sokal, a quantum physicist at New York University, imitated the writing style popular among postmodernist scholars, using a large number of advanced scientific terms to discuss social issues, and published it in the journal Social Text, which was a popular symbol of the intellectual world at the time. Subsequently, Sokal himself exposed this absurd method of pretending to be profound but the actual language was unclear, and immediately detonated the ideological circles, that is, the "Sokal Incident".
The Sokal Affair sparked a widespread and intense debate in academia, and its impact extended to the general reader. Readers/scholars who were struggling to understand this secretive way of writing, or who admired these authors because of this, their various comments took this incident as an opportunity to roar like a tsunami. This incident, which can be called the "war of the century" between postmodernism and scientism, has received the attention of many mainstream media, and this book has become a unique talking point for major media.
As a direct response to the events of Sokal himself, the detonator of the "Sokal Incident", the book "Fashionable Empty Words" can be one of the core texts in this profound and lasting event. It has a strong reference value and can help readers to understand the event intuitively and comprehensively. At the same time, Sokal and Brikmon themselves are professors of physics and mathematics, with strong scientific professionalism, and their interpretation of postmodernism has its own unique scientific perspective and thinking, which can bring readers a unique reading experience.
Funky empty words
The misuse of science by postmodern intellectuals
In 1996, Social Text published an article by Alan Sokal in which Sokal used absurd brushwork to imitate contemporary theorists and to quote obscure but obscure terms related to science. The prank quickly gained widespread attention and sparked a heated debate in academia.
■ Sokal
Sokal wrote the article titled "Transgressing the Boundaries: Toward a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity."
Sokal then collaborated with Bricmont to expose the misuse of scientific concepts in the writings of popular postmodernist thinkers. From Jacques Lacan and Julia Kristeva to Luce Irigaray and Jean Baudrillard, the authors list a list of glaring mistakes postmodernists make in using science to support their arguments. The book "Fashionable Empty Words" is logical and humorous, fully refuting the idea that scientific theory is only a narrative or social construction, and exploring the ability and limits of science in describing living conditions.