SKU: 89435479780

The Sokal Hoax: The Sham That Shook the Academy

Sale price$18.32 Regular price$20.36
Save 10%

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 15 - Jul 20

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

The Sokal Hoax: The Sham That Shook the AcademyIn May 1996 physicist Alan Sokal published an essay in the fashionable academic journal Social Text. The essay quoted hip theorists like Jacques Lacan, Donna Haraway, and Gilles Deleuze. The prose was thick with the jargon of poststructuralism. And the point the essay tried to make was counterintuitive: gravity, Sokal argued, was a fiction that society had agreed upon, and science needed to be liberated from its ideological blinders. When Sokal

In May 1996 physicist Alan Sokal published an essay in the fashionable academic journal Social Text. The essay quoted hip theorists like Jacques Lacan, Donna Haraway, and Gilles Deleuze. The prose was thick with the jargon of poststructuralism. And the point the essay tried to make was counterintuitive: gravity, Sokal argued, was a fiction that society had agreed upon, and science needed to be liberated from its ideological blinders.

When Sokal revealed in the pages of Lingua Franca that he had written the article as a parody, the story hit the front page of the New York Times. It set off a national debate still raging today: Are scholars in the humanities trapped in a jargon-ridden Wonderland? Are scientists deluded in thinking their work is objective? Are literature professors suffering from science envy? Was Sokal's joke funny? Was the Enlightenment such a bad thing after all? And isn't it a little bit true that the meaning of gravity is contingent upon your cultural perspective?

Collected here for the first time are Sokal's original essay on quantum gravity, his essay revealing the hoax, the newspaper articles that broke the story, and the angry op-eds, letters, and e-mail exchanges sparked by the hoax from intellectuals across the country, including Stanley Fish, George F. Will, Michael B rub , and Katha Pollitt. Also included are extended essays in which a wide range of scholars ponder the long-term lessons of the hoax.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Bison Books
Published: 09/01/2000
ISBN: 9780803279957
Pages: 271
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.02h x 6.00w x 0.58d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 10/01/2000 pg. 1408
Library Journal 12/01/2000 pg. 167
Choice 02/01/2001 pg. 1101
Scitech Book News 03/01/2001 pg. 16
Library Journal 12/20/2000

Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 89435479780

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.2 ★★★★★
Based on 2118 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
B
Verified Purchase
Billiam
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 4
Comfortable
Size: Large, Color: Light Blue, White, Black
Nice and soft material , not like a t-shirt.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2026
K
Verified Purchase
Keith
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Really great shirt. Fits great
Size: Large, Color: Black, White, Brown
Just wore one of mine and I really love it!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2026
S
Verified Purchase
Steven O. Evans, Ph.D.
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 1
DId not fit well at all.
Size: Medium, Color: Black, Navy Blue, Wine Red
Baggy and .. saggy.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2026
B
Verified Purchase
Boris
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 3
No las volveré a comprar
Size: Medium, Color: Black, White, Blue
Son bonitas y las tallas están bien, pero algo calurosas y después de 2 lavadas empiezan a deteriorarse
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2025
I
Verified Purchase
Ira Stroud
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
Perfect
Size: X-Large, Color: Black, White, Apricot
Was looking for some high neck T-shirts that don’t sag. These are a nice fit for a large body
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2026

recommand products