A Short History of Bollocks...
Posted by: Tim Danaher on 09 December 2004
...is what Francis Wheen wanted to call his latest book, but ended up having to use 'How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered The World' instead. Title apart, it's a real cracker. Reading the chapter on social science/deconstruction -- and especially the bit about Alan Sokal's brilliant deception (and the dupes' reactions to it) -- had me grinning from ear to ear on the train this morning. Highly recommended.
Cheers,
Tim
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Os nid Campagnolo yw hi, dyw hi ddim yn werth ei marcho...
Posted on: 09 December 2004 by blythe
I presume you know the actual origins of the word "bollocks"............
If not, the Richard Branson Biography makes compelling reading! (The origins of "bollocks" is part of the book!)
Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......
Posted on: 09 December 2004 by BigH47
See fame at last a history of "Padded Cell".
At least with the original title.
Howard
Posted on: 09 December 2004 by Tim Jones
Try this:
http://www.elsewhere.org/cgi-bin/postmodernEach time it provides you with a nice essay in poststructuralism which means absolutely nothing.
As an enormously pretentious young man, I spent five years pretending I knew what Lacan, Derrida, Deleuze, etc, were on about. Of course I didn't and nor does anyone else.
The shame.
Tim
Posted on: 09 December 2004 by Deane F
Tim
Thanks for that link. Priceless.
If Sontagist camp holds, we have to choose between neodeconstructivist cultural theory and the subpatriarchial paradigm of context. It could be said that the subject is contextualised into a expressionism that includes culture as a totality.
Just goes to show how many different ways there are to contribute to society. My brother completed an honours degree majoring in philosophy and was fond of saying that, "philosophy has a valuable social function...for philosophers."
Deane
Posted on: 10 December 2004 by Kevin-W
Very good Tim!
However the most insidious influence upon the language comes not from (often deliberately) obscurantist French thinkers or up-their-own-arses American acedemics; but from consultants and business gurus who have polluted English with such ghastly and meaningless phrases (ie complete bollocks) as "KPI (key performance indicator"), "empowerment", "mission and vision [statement]", "deliverables" etc ad nauseam...
Kevin
Posted on: 10 December 2004 by JonR
Hmmm...good theme Kevin.
I think you should pick it up and run with it......
Posted on: 10 December 2004 by Mike Hughes
I received this book for my birthday and, whilst I enjoy a bit of Wheen, I thought he meandered and lost the plot in the sense of my reaching the end of the book without ever having the sense of travelled through a history of anything. It was all a bit disjointed and disappointing. There were half a dozen laugh out loud moments but I can't say I'll be rushing out for his next book unless he gets a bit more focus.
Mike
