Alan Sokal Quotes

A collection of quotes by Alan Sokal.

Alan Sokal is a renowned physicist, mathematician, and debunker of pseudoscience. Born in 1955, he gained recognition with his infamous "Sokal Affair" in 1996, in which he successfully submitted a hoax article to a cultural studies journal to shed light on the lack of intellectual rigor in certain academic fields. Sokal's work primarily focuses on quantum gravity and statistical mechanics, and he has made significant contributions in these fields. He is also known for his critical analysis of postmodernism and for advocating the use of empirical evidence and scientific method in various disciplines.

A mode of thought does not become 'critical' simply by attri

A mode of thought does not become 'critical' simply by attributing that label to itself, but by virtue of its content.

Science Critical Thinking Skepticism Artifice

Anyone who believes that the laws of physics are mere social

Anyone who believes that the laws of physics are mere social conventions is invited to try transgressing those conventions from the windows of my apartment. (I live on the twenty-first floor.)

Science Philosophy Physics

In this atmosphere of general discouragement, it is tempting

In this atmosphere of general discouragement, it is tempting to attack something that is sufficiently linked to the powers-that-be so as not to appear very sympathetic, but sufficiently weak to be a more-or-less accessible target (since the concentration of power and money are beyond reach). Science fulfills these conditions, and this partly explains the attacks against it.

Science Postmodernism Left