Alan Sokal
David Alan Sokal, born in 1955 , is professor of physics and faculty member of the department of mathematics of the University of New York. In January 2006 he was appointed to the chair of statistical mechanics and combinatorics of the University College London.
Under the direction of Arthur Wightman , he obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Princeton in 1981. In physics , research interests include Sokal statistical mechanics , the quantum field theory , mathematics and computer science applied to physics.
Politically left , Sokal has taught mathematics at the National University of Nicaragua at the time the government Sandinista.
Summary |
Sokal Affair
He is best known to the general public for a controversy that has raised controversy in 1996. Curious to see if the journal Cultural Studies (Cultural Studies) Postmodern Social Text publish any article that "flatter the ideological preconceptions of the editors," Sokal submitted for publication a bombastic, but absurd, article titled "Transgressing the Borders: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity " , citing, among others, Noam Chomsky to say that the left and social science would best served by solid intellectual foundation based on reason. He said the leftist and postmodernist criticizing his deception, explaining that his motivation was "to defend the left of its current vogue.
The other objective was to show that the worst atrocities can be defended based on postmodern thinkers.
This case, together with the book of Paul R. Gross and Norman Levitt : Higher Superstition: The Academic Left and Its Quarrels With Science, can be regarded as belonging to that Social Text has called "Science Wars." The book accuses the university in general and specialists in human sciences in particular with using inaccurate scientific terms and mathematical and supporters of the strong program to deny the value of scientific truth.
Publications
- With Jean Bricmont , Fashionable Nonsense , Odile Jacob , 1997, ISBN 2253942766
- With Jean Bricmont and B. Hochstadt, pseudoscience and postmodernism , 2005, ISBN 2-7381-1615-9
Notes
Related articles
- Epistemology
- List of famous hoaxes
- Alan Sokal has contributed to the invention of class E amplifiers, see Classes of operating an electronic amplifier
External Links
References
- (en) "Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity." Alan D. Sokal: Transgressing the Boundaries: Toward a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity. Social Text, No. 46/47, Science Wars (Spring-Summer 1996), pp. 217-252.
- [pdf] A. Sokal (1996). "A Physicist Experiments with Cultural Studies". Lingua Franca: 62-64.
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