Beyond the Hoax: Science, Philosophy and Culture [Hardcover]

This book should be a deathblow to the grotesque inanities of deconstructionist and postmodernist theory which has had such a devastating effect on university humanities departments, especially in the US. It will fail to be a deathblow. Among the deconstructionist/postmodernist devotees and apologists of my acquaintance, some claim never to have heard of Sokal. They are not moved by the facts and the arguments Sokal presents, because they don't believe that there are such things as facts, nor do they believe in rational argument.

It is not all an easy read - the first part in particular which reproduces the hoax paper in full with annotations and explanations. But it is fascinating to read the hoax article and try and wrap your head around it's twisted and mangled perported view of the "science" of quantum gravity. Knowing a bit about the physics leaves you genuinely gasping in disbelief at some of the sentences and even whole paragraphs. That such an article could have been published in all seriousness in a supposedly respected journal of any kind is simply astonishing.

But most of the book is simple and straightforward to read. There are very many quotations and references, with extensive footnotes on most pages - if you read all of these it can be harder to keep track of the main thrust of the argument, but that is a minor flaw at worst. As the other reviewers have noted, the characteristic that shines through the whole book is one of "reasonableness". At every turn, Alan Sokal is just so plain reasonable that I imagine that it would be very hard for anyone to argue against his viewpoint. This is not a book about very abstract or esoteric philosophy - it is much more grounded in the everyday world, addressing questions about what we can discover or know about the real world in practice.

Some of the areas that are scrutinised are completely new to me. The section on nursing and related pseudo-medical mumbo-jumbo sticks particularly in my memory as another area that left me reeling in shock at the utter rubbish that has been prepetrated on us, sometimes leading to worldwide recognition and awards.

Definitely worth reading for anybody who has more than a passing interest.

It was a delightful episode. For nearly two generations, the philosophical French Pox had suffused through North American universities. "Postmodernism" created artificial new disciplines, set a still unmatched standard for obfuscation, and lambasted science whenever its practitioners found the opportunity. Being busy with other things, researchers had little time to respond with more than a sad shaking of the head. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, physicist Alan Sokal [who?] produced an article on quantum gravity, drafted in the best elusive "pomo" style and publised it in a leading postmodernist journal, Social Text.

It was a hoax. Beautifully conceived and wonderfully executed, Sokal's article demonstrated to all what a different kind of hoax had been perpetrated on North American education. In this lively recapitulation of the episode, Sokal uses the article - with updating comments - to explain his motives and to expand on them with additional essays. The original is reprinted with Sokal's commentary on what spoofs, solopsisms, outright flattery of Socal Text's editors and purposeful scientific errors even a first-year physics student would question. Obviously, none of that mattered, since the syntax was so clearly in a form those editors cherished, the "peer reviewers" overlooked or were ignorant of, the gaffes. Besides a scientist writing for a journal long known to criticise science. He was one of their own!

Revelation of the parody in another pomo journal brought much glee to the scientific community, among others, but the project failed in one significant regard. The pomo movement did not wither away - indeed many of its adherents still occupy university chairs. "Truth" is still being equated with "belief" and objective facts are readily dismissed for unverifiable alternatives and "feelings" accepted more than data. The following essays demonstrate that illogical thinking, rejection of the scientific method did not diminish and pseudoscience is actually on the rise. In one truly frightening essay, Sokal describes the psuedoscience that is permeating the North American nursing profession. Deemed - among other terms - "Therapeutic Touch", its practioners claim certain healing skills by not "touching" at all! Although the practice was exposed by an 11-year-old girl at a science fair, classes in the technique are given in at least 80 college and university schools across North America, with an equal number of hospitals sponsoring its use.

As he notes, Sokal's original - and ongoing - aim is to protect students from falling prey to the mass of false or misleading claims about science, about the finding and use of evidence, about the evils of "credential-mongering" and to encourage critical thinking generally. He provides numerous examples, even ranging so far afield as an examination of the rise of postmodernism in India. There, the attacks on science seen in the West have expanded and intensified in Vedic Hinduism, a movement wrapped in anti-colonialist nationalism and ethno-centrism. Social commentators Meera Nanda and Vandana Shiva - oft-cited by Western relativist academics, are shown as Asian heirs to the French tradition. Both call for "alternative sciences", which remain poorly formulated.

This discussion of a religiously-based rejection of objective science is a proper lead to his final chapter, "Religion, Politics and Survival". If there is one area where "evidence" is discounted and even avoided, it is in the promulgation of religion. For Sokal, the issue goes well beyond simple personal considerations because making decisions without assessing valid information distorts how we make choices. Evidence, he argues, must come first, whether in social situations, politics or even buying an auto. "Faith", he says, "is not a rejection of reason, but the lazy acceptance of bad reasons". Using Sam Harris' "End of Faith" and Rabbi Michael Lerner's "Spirit Matters", the author closely examines the books and the questions they raise. Among these is the attitude of his countrymen at election time. "Moral values" was the highest rated reason given for making a choice in the 2004 presidential election - with the term being a code-word for opposition to abortion and gay marriage. Given that most people have no real idea what is involved in such situations, Sokal argues that decisions based on deluded sources are flawed. Ethical ideas can be assessed in secular terms and that's an idea he wishes extended.

Although this book may seem dated to the uninitiated - we don't encounter the term "postmodern" as much as we used to, the basic philosophy remains widespread. By eschewing realistic foundations for our patterns of living, we may be heading into a pre-Enlightenment version of modern society. Should anybody wish this sort of regression, they are free to try it outside a society where the powers available are kept out of harm's way. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]