Scandalous Knowledge

“Scandalous Knowledge is invigorating intellectual criticism that succeeds on many levels, not the least of which is its ability to reacquaint radial epistemologists with their own radicalism.” — Lisa Uddin, Topia

“[H]ighly articulate, copiously documented, and superbly researched.” — Paula Zeuge, Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

“A tremendously valuable articulation of the theory and practice of constructivism, Scandalous Knowledge is an important and effective intervention into a variety of epistemological debates in a number of different disciplines. . . . Consistently adroit and engaging, Barbara Herrnstein Smith offers her readers a scandalously gratifying and generative reassessment of some of the most basic concepts of intellectual exchange.” — Robert Azzarello, Cultural Critique

“As her overall theme, Smith wants to defend constructivist epistemology as the appropriate one for the twenty-first century and, to a slightly lesser extent, the goals of social construction, while deriding as unfounded the attacks against their purported relativism, nihilism, fatuous egalitarianism, and political correctness. Her performance is undeniably impressive. . . .” — Harold Fromm, Philosophy and Literature

“Everyone in epistemology and philosophy of science, and many others across the academy, should read this book. . . . [T]his book deserves to be very influential. It can help motivate and justify feminist theorists in moving on from the defensive position enforced by the specter of relativism that we face when we try to appease traditional philosophers. . . . we should remember to resist employing and retrenching false stereotypes employed by our theoretical opponents. Instead, we can laugh along with Herrnstein Smith, because she is wickedly funny as well as clear and profound.” — Catherine Hundleby, Hypatia

“I take from Scandalous Knowledge its strong argument for the benefits of remaining curious and open-minded to developments both within one’s specialized field and across the interdisciplinary board, an argument, which could be made both for individual researchers and for entire disciplines. Smith’s own work is an excellent illustration of the conceptual and analytical possibilities engendered by intellectual expansiveness and refuses to be drawn into the provinciality of disciplinary turf wars as well as agendas to make research practically useful (or duly normative) along narrowly conceived lines. A good dose of Scandalous Knowledge is thus strongly to be recommended. . . .” — Casper Bruun Jensen, Social Studies of Science

“Smith is at her best in skewering the pretensions of evolutionary psychology. Here she does parse the arguments, excellently, and convincingly demonstrates the ‘unusually preemptive character’ of this field’s claims.” — Matthew B. Crawford, New Atlantis

“Smith’s book would be useful in any liberal studies course to present the various tensions faced by epistemology in the 21st century and to provide for many a spirited argument about reality and constructed reality. It is readable and interesting for the general reader and could also be an effective foil for discussion in graduate classes. . . .” — Bob Lane, Metapsychology Online Reviews

“Smith’s book, carefully and thoroughly read, will help some but not all readers avoid the pitfalls laid out like land mines across today’s epistemological geographies.” — Sal Restivo, Isis

“Smith’s essays are clear, informed, and intelligent. . . . [T]hese essays are useful both for their intellectual-historical erudition and for their critique of facile scape-goating.” — Horace L. Fairlamb, symploke

“Smith's book covers an important area and is certainly worth reading. . . .” — Barry Stocker, Culture Machine

“What is laudable about this book is the author’s willingness to tackle the difficult issues. . . . Barbara Herrnstein Smith is on the right track with some great pearls of wisdom. . . .” — Raphael Sassower, Philosophy of the Social Sciences