Subject: PKF: RE: Re: A reintroduction
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 22:34:16 +1300


Okay 10 points go to James for the first correct response. Sorry ravi you
were number 2. I appreciate your replies I don't remember corresponding with
Ravi during that time but it was a while ago.

The next 10 points are still up for grabs (I might even throw in a chocolate
fish)

Thanks for thinking about it James, I have a couple of comments on your
preliminary thoughts that might (or might not) help.

Yes you are correct when you say "...there are no sentences that have no
meaning whatsoever" but I suspect that Sokal might say that stating this is
just obfuscation, a bit like if I say "When it is raining it rains." Yes the
sentence has meaning to someone who hears it, in fact if I said it they
would probably look at me a little strangely which creates a whole other
layer of meaning. I will take a liberty with Sokal though and venture to say
that he might think that the sentence had no value and was in itself void of
meaning. So one thing I think he is saying is that there are a few? some?
many? in the field who write in this way simply because it sounds clever but
in actual fact is empty. 

What my second question was really saying then is -- Does relativism,
post-modernism, nihilism and what ever other "ism" is in fashion at the
moment (I don't know I've had nothing to do with the field for 6 + years)
encourage this sort of meaningless statement and are those authors that
write in this way rewarded within the field for their efforts when in fact
what they write contributes nothing of value to anything except perhaps
their bank accounts?


Cheers
Mike Eathorne-Gould
meathorne-gould-AT-business.otago.ac.nz

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