Abstract:
Alain Sokal published in the year 1996 the paper “Transgressing the Boundaries: Toward
a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Mechanics” through which he aimed to test the
partisan sensitivity and conformist superficiality of the editors towards a text that flattered their
ideological prejudices. In fact, the study is a parody of post-modern thought disguised as the
promise of revealing the philosophical and political implications of twentieth-century physics.
The main targets are:
1, Misuse of scientific and mathematical concepts by philosophers, psychologists and writers,
especially from the French cultural space, such as Jacques Lacan, Julia Kristeva, Luce
Irigaray, Gilles Deleuze, Jean Baudrillard;
2. The relativistic tendencies in the philosophy of science exemplified by Thomas S. Kuhn,
Paul Feyerabend, the “Hard Program” of David Bloor and Barry Barnes, the social constructivism
proposed by Bruno Latour.
My goal in this paper is to briefly analyze to what extent Sokal’s critical arguments are
valid for the case of social constructivism elaborated by Bruno Latour. and to outline the critical
debate produced by the actors network theory.
Description:
STOENESCU, Constantin. „Afacerea sokal” și constructivismul social. In: Integrare prin cercetare și inovare: conferința științifică națională cu participare internațională. Științe umanistice și sociale, 9-10 noiembrie 2023. CEP USM, 2024, pp. 5-12. ISBN 978-9975-62-691-0 (PDF).