Fashionable Nonsense audiobook cover - Postmodern Intellectuals’ Abuse of Science

Fashionable Nonsense

Postmodern Intellectuals’ Abuse of Science

Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmont

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Fashionable Nonsense
Postmodernism's Core Tenets+
The Sokal Hoax+
Misuse of Scientific Concepts+
Why the Nonsense Persists+
Detrimental Consequences+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 5
According to the text, what is a central tenet of postmodernism regarding knowledge?
  • A. Objective truth exists but can only be uncovered through rigorous empirical testing.
  • B. Scientific evidence is the only valid framework for understanding the natural world.
  • C. All forms of knowledge, including science, are objective realities independent of human thought.
  • D. There is no objective truth, and all forms of knowledge are subjective social constructs.
Question 2 of 5
What was Alan Sokal's primary goal in publishing his paper in the journal Social Text?
  • A. To propose a new, transformative theory of quantum gravity.
  • B. To expose the lack of rigor in postmodernist academia by publishing a deliberately nonsensical parody.
  • C. To demonstrate that physics and social sciences can be successfully integrated.
  • D. To prove that academic journals are biased against writers who do not have a background in the humanities.
Question 3 of 5
How do prominent postmodernist thinkers like Jacques Lacan and Luce Irigaray utilize science, according to the authors?
  • A. They use superficial scientific terminology in absurd and irrelevant ways to make their ideas seem profound.
  • B. They rely on the scientific method to bring empirical evidence into psychoanalysis and feminist theory.
  • C. They successfully translate complex mathematical equations into accessible concepts for social scientists.
  • D. They conduct controlled experiments to challenge dogmatic beliefs within the natural sciences.
Question 4 of 5
What historical factor contributed to the rise and appeal of postmodernism?
  • A. A widespread failure of the criminal justice system to utilize forensic evidence.
  • B. The natural sciences adopting a more tolerant and flexible code of conduct.
  • C. A rebellion against 'scientism' and the dogmatic belief that empirical sciences or all-encompassing theories hold every answer.
  • D. The discovery of chaos theory, which proved that human history is entirely unpredictable.
Question 5 of 5
Why do the authors argue that the extreme relativism of postmodernism is detrimental to society?
  • A. It forces the natural sciences to abandon traditional experimental methods.
  • B. It undermines reliance on facts and evidence, which can inadvertently validate irrational, extremist, or fundamentalist arguments.
  • C. It strictly enforces an over-romanticized view of Western values and technological progress.
  • D. It makes literary texts too difficult for the general public to understand.

Fashionable Nonsense — Full Chapter Overview

Fashionable Nonsense Summary & Overview

In Fashionable Nonsense (1998), we dive into some of the problematic aspects of postmodernism, a fashionable intellectual trend in universities worldwide. Learn how inaccessible, complex language does not always translate into profound ideas, and discover how the popularity of postmodern nonsense can actually harm society.

Who Should Listen to Fashionable Nonsense?

  • Readers who want to learn more about the Sokal hoax
  • Scholars and critics of relativism and its implicit dangers
  • Students critical of postmodernism

About the Author: Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmont

Alan Sokal is a physics professor at New York University and the author of Beyond the Hoax.

Jean Bricmont is a professor of theoretical physics at the Université de Louvain, in Belgium. He also co-wrote Humanitarian Imperialism, with Diana Johnstone.

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