Intellectual Impostures (Paperback Edition)

A work on the abuse of science by postmodern philosophers in pocket format.

Intellectual Impostures is the result of a controversy. In 1996, Professor Alan Sokal of New York University submitted a satirical article to the respected journal Social Text, published by Duke University Press, replete with theoretical absurdities and quotations that, while authentic, were devoid of any meaning beyond rhetorical exercise. Published as a serious text, the article was exposed as a hoax and sparked a controversy over the validity of postmodern discourse in academia.

Building on this experience, now in partnership with Belgian Jean Bricmont of the University of Louvain, Sokal reveals, in Intellectual Impostures , the abuses of scientific terminology and apparent erudition committed by renowned intellectuals. This book opened a debate on the parameters of intellectual rigor and honesty. A very timely and courageous contribution.