[Critical-Realism] CR’s Sokalization

[Fred Zaman <agent.redstone@xxxxxxxxx>]

  And so, as I was fully expecting, Mervyn?s other shoe drops. 
  Mervyn clearly is intent on ?Sokalizing? this list, which by this 
  I mean using ridicule, enmity, fear mongering, and other modes of 
  irrationality to inoculate the CR list against any possibility of 
  a convergence of theory in the physical and social sciences. The 
  Sokalites of philosophy and science, of which Alan Sokal himself 
  in ?Fashionable Nonsense?  of course is the exemplar, are 
  absolutely dedicated to maintaining the physical and social as 
  theoretically distinct and separate disciplines. Their critiques, 
  however, are neither objective nor rational. Why? One reason is 
  because there currently is no accepted theory covering the 
  borderlands of the social and physical that can serve as the 
  basis for the objective, rational discourse of such. Rationality 
  and objectivity in the theoretical borderlands depends on a 
  convergence of social and physical theory that presently doesn?t 
  exist--a state that the Sokalites of philosophy and science 
  indeed are absolutely intent on maintaining through the only 
  means available to them: irrationality, enmity, ridicule, and 
  fear mongering.
   
  What ?A Critical-Realist Theory of America? thus points to, which 
  is a rational, objective convergence of physical and social 
  theory in the borderlands, is exactly what Mervyn and other 
  Sokalites hate with such passion. One would, based on the stated 
  objectives of CR indicated in the ?Journal of Critical Realism? 
  and elsewhere, think that critical-realism is exactly the place 
  where such an ideological bent would be absent; but that seems to 
  not be true, at least in the case of Mervyn and Tim. Did Mervyn 
  assume the post of JCR editor with such specifically ideological 
  pretensions? One can only wonder (or not). The key to preventing 
  such inoculations of ideology in CR, of course, is the 
  maintenance of free and open discourse regarding a convergence in 
  the theoretical borderlands of the physical and social--which 
  open discourse the CR list of course should maintain absolutely. 
  For the Sokalites of philosophy and science are destined to lose 
  the struggle to maintain the borderlands of the physical and 
  social sciences as a ?theory free? zone. Indeed, as Bhaskar has 
  clearly intimated, it is precisely in the current ?absences? of 
  the theoretical borderlands of the physical and social that CR 
  will find its ultimate triumph; which any comprehensive, final 
  theory thereof Sokalites undoubtedly will abhor as fashionable CR 
  nonsense.
   
  Fred
   

Mervyn Hartwig <mh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
  Hi George

No, no joke intended. IMO cobbling theories together is a most barren way of
proceeding, and your apparent obsession with convergence has indeed annoyed
me (identifying what approaches have in common, as well as their
differences, is another matter).

You've actually done more than defend Fred's right to post here without
untoward ad hominem attack: you've encouraged people to take his
pseudo-intellectual stuff seriously, when the most elementary prudence
indicates that it should be taken with a large grain of salt at the very
least. It's as though you'd never heard of an intellectual hoax or the
possibility of one (to mention nothing more untoward from a CR point
of view). Once the dust has settled, I think it will be found that I've
acted rather more responsibly in the matter of Fred than you when it
comes to the real interests of CR. It's a bit early, at any rate, for you to
be getting on your moral high-horse.

I'm not a professional representative of CR. I'm a voluntary worker,
responsible to my self, the CR community and human beings at large. I don't
normally speak in my capacity as JCR general editor here, but for the record
in that capacity I represent IACR, membership of which is not restricted to
any particular profession, any more than membership of this list.

Mervyn

       
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