Helen Pluckrose & James Lindsay (‘Cynical Theories’) have done us a service. They sacrificed themselves to read, on behalf of the rest of us, the stupefyingly boring, pretentious & deliberately unclear literature of postmodern metabullshit. Now we can get on with real science.
Peter Medawar rumbled postmodernist metabullshit even before it got into its over-rated stride. He wrote the following in 1968 (reprinted in Pluto’s Republic). 
PB Medawar, again reprinted in Pluto’s Republic, again anticipating postmodern metabaloney:
“No one who has something original or important to say will willingly run the risk of being misunderstood; people who write obscurely are either unskilled in writing or up to mischief.”
“No one who has something original or important to say will willingly run the risk of being misunderstood; people who write obscurely are either unskilled in writing or up to mischief.”
Not the least irritating aspect of postmodern metagarbage is appropriating the word “Theory”.
Is Theoretical Physics (a real subject, by the way) not theory? Theoretical Biology, as fruitfully promoted by Waddington?
If you mean Literary Theory, say so. Don’t hijack “Theory”.
Is Theoretical Physics (a real subject, by the way) not theory? Theoretical Biology, as fruitfully promoted by Waddington?
If you mean Literary Theory, say so. Don’t hijack “Theory”.
They hijacked not only “Theory” but “Social Justice”. Morphed from something clearly good (justice for underprivileged) to a daft & sinister quasi-religion (science & rationality a white male plot; only whites can be racist & all whites are; “cancel” all dissent as heresy, etc)
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