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Happy Birthday Mr. Chomsky
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by ricknight | December 7, 2007 at 05:27 am
1151 views | 11 Recommendations | 18 comments
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It's the birthday of the linguist and political analyst Noam Chomsky, born in Philadelphia (1928), who started out as a linguist at a time when most linguists believed that language is something children only learn through habit and practice. But Chomsky believed that language was instinctive in human beings, and in his book Syntactic Structures (1957), he developed a way of describing grammatical elements of all languages to show that there is a universal grammar innate to the human brain. His ideas revolutionized the field, making him the foremost linguist in the world.But today, he's better known for his radical political ideas. He first got involved in politics during the Vietnam War, helping to organize the protest march on the Pentagon that Norman Mailer wrote about in his book Armies of the Night. Chomsky and Mailer ended up sharing a jail cell after the march, and Mailer described him as "a slim, sharp-featured man with an ascetic expression and an air of gentle but absolute moral integrity."
He still writes about linguistics, but he's also written books about American foreign policy, including Manufacturing Consent (1986) and Deterring Democracy (1991).
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at 07:01 on December 7th, 2007
The world needs more outspoken linguists.
at 07:11 on December 7th, 2007
but they should limit their outspokness to language.
at 08:00 on December 7th, 2007
But what if, say, Vaclav Havel just stuck with playwriting?
at 08:35 on December 7th, 2007
i posit that the role of a political leader is different than that of an analyst - an analyst should be an expert and a leader...well a leader.
at 10:37 on December 7th, 2007
I think the role of an individual is to be thoughtful, reflective, and outspoken about things they believe in. Chomsky is certainly that, even if one doesn't agree with his politics.
How dull it would be if we only heard politics that we agreed with.
at 10:48 on December 7th, 2007
i totally agree - however his credentials as a linguist shouldn't give clout to his politics. however, perhaps the point is that if you have something to say and people listen then it's valid and Chomsky definitely has a following.
at 11:08 on December 7th, 2007
In politics... of any stripe, it's really the only thing that matters. :)
at 11:26 on December 7th, 2007
thumbs up to more opinionated "public" intellectuals...
at 11:35 on December 7th, 2007
I just posted an Ali G/Noam Chomsky interview if anyone is interested.
at 12:15 on December 7th, 2007
Kind of funny... :)
at 11:43 on December 7th, 2007
Being an expert in linguistics, doesn't in any way, shape, or form, qualify that individual to be an expert in politics. In Chomsky's case, he is "off the rails," as to his diatribes. Yes, I have read the man's academic work--brilliant--and political thought--insane--and if we extrapolate upon the previous comments, then anybody in any profession that is at the top of their game, could be analogous to Chomsky. And that is just plain wrong.
at 13:30 on December 7th, 2007
Though stranger public acceptances have taken place, such as with Governor Schwartzenegger and President Reagan... and Cicciolina, Italy's ex-porn-star MP.
at 12:04 on December 7th, 2007
The thing about politics in a free society, is that anyone can participate. The only thing that qualifies a person to engage in, or comment about, politics is a pulse. To question that, is to question what is a free society.
at 13:51 on December 7th, 2007
the issue at hand is not permitting such engagement on the part of Chomsky but rather the weight his opinions are given in the political arena.
at 13:59 on December 7th, 2007
I beg to differ. When a free society justifies "free speech" to Dictators, Fascists, and known serial liars, that are not even from the host country--that is an exercise in "Freedom of Stupidity."
What's next? A parade for the KKK through Harlem?
at 13:33 on December 9th, 2007
FOLLOW THIS
"Bedford, Mass. - Noam Chomsky, 78, spoke quietly Tuesday from the pulpit at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Bedford. His rhetoric was purposefully sarcastic, as the legendary linguist waxed on about the “passionate hatred of [democracy] in action,” within the United States.
“The idea of Iranian lethal involvement in Iraq is ludicrous,” Chomsky said. “The whole debate is inconceivable except on the assumption that we own the world.
at 23:25 on December 9th, 2007
Chomsky is one of the most cited intellectuals in the world. His point of view deserves to be taken seriously. Does anyone really believe that he is less capable of political expertise than any of these people?
at 14:35 on December 10th, 2007
Awesome graffiti mural in Atlanta GA. A fitting tribute.