The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 15.1487  Monday, 9 August 2004

From:           Robin Hamilton <
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 >
Date:           Monday, 26 Jul 2004 16:16:50 +0100
Subject: 15.1445 CFP - Shakespearean Intertexts in Canada
Comment:        Re: SHK 15.1445 CFP - Shakespearean Intertexts in Canada

Gabriel Egan <
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 >writes,

 >R. A. Cantrell is quite right to direct readers to Alan Sokal and Jean
 >Bricmont's _Fashionable Nonsense_,

That was the American retitle -- the (slightly) earlier British text was
called (more accurately and punchily) _Intellectual Impostures_.

 >which is as good as their other book
 >_Intellectual Impostures_.

It's the same book, Gabe.  Simply a double titling.

 >The proper uses of Kurt Godel's
 >Incompleteness Theorem are especially well treated by them, and its
 >abuses highlighted.

Actually, this is one of the few quarrels I have with Sokal and
Britomart. They focused their ire on the misuse of Godel in Deleuze and
Guatteri.

I still think there's much to be made of an analogical use of Godel in
literary studies.

Mind you, depends on which Godel you're thinking on -- Godel Numbers or
the Incompleteness Theorem.

My math runs out at this point.

             <g>

Robin

[Conspiracy Theory Territory -- one of the heroes for S&B was Noam Chomsky.
Pretty obviously, as one of the subtexts of _Intellectual Impostures_ was
USAmerican left activism.

But if you dig a bit deep into the footnotes, there are a remarkable number
of figures cited there who are connected with The Institute of General
Semantics.

Makes you wonder, but.

         <g again>

R.]

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