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Professor and Student Presented at Philosophical Society Meeting

Posted on Thursday, October 21, 2010

Dr. David Goldberg, Westminster College associate professor of philosophy, and junior philosophy and economics major Michael Gorman presented papers at the fall meeting of the West Virginia Philosophical Society Oct. 8-9 at the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown.

Goldberg, who serves as president of the organization, presented "The Sokal Affair: Straw Man All the Way," an examination of the Sokal hoax and what it does and does not say about post-modernism.

In 1996, physicist Alan Sokal submitted a paper that was accepted for publication in the journal Social Text. Three weeks later he revealed the paper was a hoax and a parody of the journal's post-modern style. What ensued was an on-going critique of post-modernism that, according to Goldberg, Sokal has turned into a small cottage industry, publishing at least three texts on the topic since the original hoax.

"What I examine are the consequences of his paper, particularly the revelations about the journal and its editors, as well as a certain small segment of post-modernism," Goldberg said. "In the larger picture, Sokal's critique leaves post-modernism intact, as his critique does nothing to diminish the larger frame of reference."

Goldberg, who has been with Westminster since 2002, earned undergraduate and master's degrees from The Pennsylvania State University and Ph.D. from Duquesne University.

Gorman's paper, "Kantian Ethics and War Profiteering," was a reworked version of a paper originally written for a business ethics course taught by Goldberg. The concern was whether the Kantian notion of duty and/or obligation could be applied in dealing with the ethical ramifications of the United States' present military activities.

Gorman was the only undergraduate student to present in a field of faculty and graduate students from a variety of institutions that included Penn State and the Universities of Kentucky, Cincinnati, and North Carolina.

Gorman is a son of Mary Novak of Avonmore and a graduate of Kiski Area High School.

Gorman's attendance at the meeting was funded by a travel/presentation grant from Westminster's Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

The Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning was created to enrich undergraduate education at Westminster through advancing world-class teaching as well as by participating in collaborations that address community and regional needs including strengthening K-12 education. The Undergraduate Research Initiative provides funding for students to conduct research and to present their research at regional and national conferences.

Contact Goldberg at (724) 946-7153 or e-mail goldbedw@westminster.edu for additional information.

Dr. David Goldberg
Michael Gorman