By Paul R. Gross, Norman Levitt
Critical analysis of academic left's hostility toward science
Subject
Themes
Higher Superstition: The Academic Left and Its Quarrels with Science is a provocative critique of what authors Paul R. Gross and Norman Levitt term the "academic left's" hostile attitude toward natural science. Published in 1994, this influential work examines the growing tension between postmodern academic thought and scientific methodology, arguing that certain segments of American academia have developed an irrational antagonism toward scientific knowledge and practice.
Higher Superstition: The Academic Left and Its Quarrels with Science is a provocative critique of what authors Paul R. Gross and Norman Levitt term the "academic left's" hostile attitude toward natural science. Published in 1994, this influential work examines the growing tension between postmodern…
Higher Superstition emerged during a pivotal period in American intellectual history when debates about the nature of knowledge, truth, and academic authority were reaching unprecedented intensity. Published in 1994, the book appeared at the height of what became known as the 'culture wars' and…
Higher Superstition introduces the concept of the 'academic left' as a diverse coalition of humanists and social scientists who share an unprecedented hostility toward natural science. This hostility distinguishes itself from traditional left-wing concerns about science by extending beyond…
One of the most significant challenges to traditional scientific authority discussed in Higher Superstition comes from cultural constructivism, a theoretical approach that views scientific knowledge as fundamentally shaped by social, cultural, and political forces rather than objective investigation…
Higher Superstition identifies postmodernism as one of the most influential intellectual movements shaping the academic left's critique of science. Postmodernist philosophy represents a comprehensive challenge to Enlightenment values, scientific rationality, and the very possibility of objective…
Higher Superstition dedicates significant attention to feminist critiques of science, which the authors identify as among the most prominent and influential challenges to traditional scientific authority within the academic left. These critiques argue that science is fundamentally shaped by…
Throughout Higher Superstition, Gross and Levitt position themselves as defenders of scientific rationality and Enlightenment values against what they see as a rising tide of irrationalism within academic discourse. Their defense rests on several interconnected arguments about the nature of…
Higher Superstition opens with a stark diagnosis of contemporary academic culture, as authors Paul R. Gross and Norman Levitt identify what they see as an unprecedented hostility toward science within a influential segment of American universities. Chapter One, 'The Academic Left and Science,'…
Chapter Two, 'Some History and Politics: Natural Science and Its Natural Enemies,' provides crucial historical context for understanding the academic left's current hostility toward science. Gross and Levitt trace the intellectual genealogy of contemporary anti-science sentiment, demonstrating how…
Chapter Three, 'The Cultural Construction of Cultural Constructivism,' provides a detailed examination of one of the most influential approaches within the academic left's critique of science: the cultural constructivist analysis of scientific knowledge. This approach, primarily developed by…
Chapter Four, 'The Realm of Idle Phrases: Postmodernism, Literary Theory, and Cultural Criticism,' examines one of the most influential theoretical movements challenging scientific authority: postmodernism. Gross and Levitt argue that postmodernist philosophy represents a fundamental assault on the…
Chapter Five, 'Auspicating Gender,' provides an extensive examination of feminist critiques of science, which Gross and Levitt identify as among the most prominent and influential challenges to scientific authority within the academic left. The chapter's title, drawn from a phrase used by feminist…
Chapter Six, 'The Gates of Eden,' examines the academic left's multicultural critique of science, which argues that Western scientific knowledge represents only one cultural perspective among many and systematically marginalizes alternative ways of understanding the natural world. This critique…
Chapter Seven, 'The Schools of Indictment,' examines the environmental movement's complex relationship with science, tracing how legitimate concerns about ecological degradation have evolved into more fundamental challenges to scientific rationality and technological civilization. Gross and Levitt…
Chapter Eight, 'Why Do the People Imagine a Vain Thing?,' shifts focus from academic critiques to examine how anti-science sentiment affects broader public understanding of scientific issues. Gross and Levitt argue that the academic left's hostility toward science, while having limited direct impact…
Chapter Nine, 'Does It Matter?,' serves as the book's conclusion, addressing the fundamental question of whether the academic left's critique of science has significant consequences worthy of serious concern. Gross and Levitt argue that while these critiques may seem abstract and removed from…
By Paul R. Gross, Norman Levitt
Subject
Themes
Higher Superstition: The Academic Left and Its Quarrels with Science is a provocative critique of what authors Paul R. Gross and Norman Levitt term the "academic left's" hostile attitude toward natural science. Published in 1994, this influential work examines the growing tension between postmodern academic thought and scientific methodology, arguing that certain segments of American academia have developed an irrational antagonism toward scientific knowledge and practice.