Now that we’re in the “post-fact” era, here’s the story of the paper “Transgressing the Boundaries: Toward a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity,” how it got past peer review and into an academic journal, and how Sokal revealed his caper: “Anyone who believes that the laws of physics are mere social conventions is invited to try transgressing those conventions from the window of my apartment. (I live on the twenty-first floor.)”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Quit Making Fun Of Academic Jargon – In The Age Of Trump, We Need It More Than Ever (Says Former Academic)
Rebecca Schuman (who, evidently, is still bitter over the Alan Sokal/Social Text incident), writes, “But now that we’ve just watched a sociopath with a fifth-grade vocabulary take the oath of office, … I have no choice but to come to jargon’s defense. Don’t worry: I’ll do it using small words.” (The commenters, however, are not having it.)
Remember Lillian Hellman? She Was A Genuinely Important American Playwright, And It’s Time We Remembered That
For decades she’s been thought of less as a dramatist than as a steely literary figure (thanks to her own efforts) or an inveterate liar (thanks to Mary McCarthy’s). DC’s Arena Stage is spending this season trying to change that.
Rehearse, Ice Feet, Repeat: A Week In The Life Of A New York City Ballet Corps Dancer
“With apologies to James Brown, the hardest working people in show business may well be ballet dancers. And at New York City Ballet, none work harder than the dancers in its lowest rank, the corps de ballet.” Michael Cooper spent six days shadowing one corps member, and he found even that “exhausting.” (includes video)
How Mel Gibson Went From Pariah To Oscar Nominee
“How did liberal Hollywood decide to once again embrace Gibson a few short years after leaked audiotapes and a domestic-violence accusation painted a picture of a him as an unhinged, abusive racist?” It’s not just that his movies are still making money, Kevin Lincoln reports – a lot of people there genuinely like the guy and say those tapes give an inaccurate picture.
Everybody’s Favorite Installation At LACMA Will Stay There Permanently
“Random International’s Rain Room, the large-scale, interactive installation in which visitors experience an artificial downpour but never get wet, has been acquired by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.”
A Unisex Lead Role In Ballet? Yes, In Justin Peck’s New Piece
The choreographer has cast Ashly Isaacs as Robert Fairchild’s understudy in The Times Are Racing. “I don’t know if it’s a first time, but it certainly feels like it might be one,” says Peck. “[Isaacs] has stepped in a few times, and she looks great.”
Here’s One Place Where The Number Of Boys Studying Ballet Is Soaring
The founder of the London Boys Ballet School says that he had only 15 students when the place opened 2½ years ago – and it now has 170.
Esa-Pekka Salonen Stays With London’s Philharmonia Orchestra Indefinitely
The composer/conductor has signed a rolling contract with the Philharmonia, where he will celebrate his tenth season as principal conductor and artistic advisor in 2017-28.
Korean Court Says Japan Can’t Have Its Stolen Buddha Back. Why? Because Pirates, That’s Why
“The 20-inch gilded bronze statue was taken from a Buddhist temple on Tsushima, a Japanese island halfway between the two countries, by South Koreans who also stole another statue from a Shinto shrine there.” But a historic temple on the Korean coast argued that the idol had been looted by Japanese pirates in the 14th century, and a court in Daejeon agreed.