12 Quotes From The Renowned Linguist, Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky, born in 1918 in Philadelphia, is a professor of linguistics at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). He is one of the most prominent linguists of the twentieth century.
His contribution to the linguistics field has been fundamental to the development of computer science. Hans PhD. dissertation was dedicated to transformative analysis, after which he became part of the faculty at MIT.
To reasonably understand the enormous influence of this great thinker, we need to be able to understand his revolutionary theory. The existence of a universal grammatical system as part of the human, genetic heritage.
In Chomsky’s view, we are all endowed from birth with a pattern from which the existing languages adapt. This conclusion led him to break with the psychological tendencies of the time, such as functionalism and behaviorism, in relation to the doctrine of language.
In addition to this, Chomsky is known for being a prominent political activist and a diligent writer on other topics.
To get closer to the inner cogs of this great theorist’s mind, we’ll give you here some of his public quotes and thoughts. We believe they have a significant, philosophical value.
12 quotes by Noam Chomsky
- “The basic idea that runs right through modern history and modern liberalism is that the public should be marginalized. The general public is seen as nothing but ignorant and busy, a confused bunch. “
- “We should not look for heroes, we should look for good ideas.”
- “Time and time again, we see that conformity is the easy way out and the path to privileges and prestige. Standing out from the crowd has personal costs. ”
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“I have always considered this to be the essence of anarchism: the belief that the burden of truth must be placed on authority and that it should be removed if it does not live up to that burden.”
- “Capitalism is a system in which the central, social institutions are, in principle, under autocratic control. So a corporation or industry is, if we think in political terms, fascist; that is, there is a tight control at the top, and complete obedience is needed at all levels – there is not much negotiation, not much to give of. But the line of authority is completely straightforward. Just as I am opposed to political fascism, I am opposed to economic fascism. I believe that until larger social institutions are under popular control of participants and communities, then it is useless to talk about democracy. “
- “ Education will have to enable self-achievement; at best, it can provide a rich and challenging environment for the individual to explore in their own way. ”
- “The Internet provides access to an extraordinary amount of information, opinions and interpretations. But as with any source, it is only useful to the extent that it is used with discrimination and insight. ”
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“ Freedom without opportunities is a disservice. Denying such opportunities is criminal. “
- “Choose any subject: Middle East, international terrorism, Central America, whatever it is, then the image presented to the world has little relation to reality. The truth is buried under one lie after another. It has been an excellent success from the point of view of removing the threat from democracy, obtained under free conditions, which is extremely interesting. It is not like in a totalitarian state where it is done by force. These awards are under the conditions of freedom. “
- “If we do not believe in the freedom to express ourselves to people we cannot stand, then we do not believe in it at all.”
- “ Education is really aimed at helping students get to a point where they can learn on their own. Because that’s how you do it through your life. You don’t just absorb the things that are given to you from the outside and repeat it. ”
- “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is by strictly regulating the spectrum of acceptable meaning, but allowing a very lively debate within that spectrum – even encouraging the more critical and dissenting views. It gives people a sense that there is room for free thinking. At the same time, the preconditions of the system are strengthened by the limits that are set on the extent of the debate. ”
