Fake It 'Til You Make It: Short Assignment 2

When Alan Sokal wrote his article "Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity", he did so with the intention of fooling scientific intellectual and editors. His article did fool the editors and was published in a major science magazine. I believe Sokal's article passed as a legitimate because of the fact that in he wrote about a new theory, and the fact that he wrote confidently and with support from the writings of other authors and physicists.

In his article, Sokal states that he wanted to take a deeper look into the analyses of other physicist and their work to develop new theories that could have "profound implications for the content of a future postmodern and liberatory science." This was a different approach to the ideas and theories of physics. Also, he wrote in such a manner as to keep math out of the article. This I believe was quite helpful in creating a false article as there were no equations to question and test. This elimination of math also opens his article up to a wider audience, some of whom may not be familiar with the complexities of physics and mathematics. An audience with a smaller knowledge base in physics might have an easier time believing the theories presented in the article.

Throughout the article, there are constant references to quotes and works published by other notable physicists. The references make Sokal's article seem more valid. His intention, I feel, was to bolster his article with so many references, that his work would seem irrefutable. He mentions scientists like Bohr, Einstein, and Newton,who are the fathers of major laws of physics. The idea was that if people believed Sokal's evidence was backed by the fathers of phsyics, then it absolutely had to be true, or at least possible.

Sokal also wrote with confidence. His idea, though fake, was not too far out of the realm of possibility that it was an obvious farce. He presented his work with a purpose, as well as a process of analysis. He went step by step through his outline presenting an idea that was seemingly supported by theory after theory and quote after quote. His wording was careful, so as not to refute previous statements and ensure that his fake idea was presented in a believable manner.