Achievement Quote by Alan Sokal
“Why should self-indulgent nonsense - whatever its professed political orientation - be lauded as the height of scholarly achievement?”
About This Quote
Self‑indulgent nonsense, regardless of political label, should not be celebrated as scholarly excellence.
In simple terms: Bad scholarship shouldn't be praised.
Key Takeaway
Critically evaluate work on merit, not novelty.
Themes
academic integrity
scholarship
politics
criticism
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
critical
academic
When to use this quote
- peer review
- academic publishing
- public discourse
Key Concepts
epistemology
media studies
ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- What standards define scholarly achievement?
- How do politics influence academic praise?
A Different Perspective
Some may argue novelty can be valuable even if flawed.
![“Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics - feel that [Kurt] Vonnegut started to repeat himself, to grow increasingly self-indulgent and meandering, and to sometimes just blather in his later work. But his books up…” quote by Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ed7/michael-dirda-3414_1960s_nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-li_13506.jpg)
![“It wasn't that expectations changed. But [teens] went from general expectations of success to having no idea of the right thing to do. In the '60s there was a strong prejudice against careerism. We were self-indulgent and self-destructive.” quote by Michael Medved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a0e/michael-medved-18817_careerism_it-wasn-t-that-expectations-changed-but_377275.jpg)
