Posted on 12/07/2018 8:27:25 AM PST by Borges
Born on December 7, 1928, Noam Chomsky was raised by Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants in Philadelphia.
Though his father was a Hebrew scholar who studied medieval grammar, Chomsky lacked direction through school and university and only committed to the study of linguistics when he took up a post at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1955.
It wasn't long, however, before the young unknown scholar single-handedly revolutionized the field of linguists, his book Syntactic Structures (1957) kickstarting his concept of "transformational grammar" that argued — contrary to the behaviourist fad of the time — that our linguistic capacity is genetic and innate.
Having since been dubbed "the father of modern linguistics," the long-time Institute Professor Emeritus at MIT and author of 100-odd books further made his name for his deconstruction of language in the public realm, and the way words have helped wage war and consolidate political power.
Inspired by anarchist and socialist writers like George Orwell, in the 1960s Chomsky became involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement, not only as an intellectual critic, but as a participant in direct "activism and resistance," as he called it in a 2003 interview.
"For years, every time I came to Washington, the first thought that came to mind was the smell of teargas, I was in and out of demonstrations, in and out of jail a number of times," he said, adding that he went to jail in 1967 alongside the writer, Norman Mailer.
In 1969, Chomsky published his first political tract, American Power and the New Mandarins, which was a stinging indictment of the Vietnam War and US imperialism.
Many similarly themed books and essay collections would follow, including 1983's Fateful Triangle, which explored the relationship between the US, Israel and Palestine as the source of the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Chomsky tried to infuse his political critiques with important linguistic and semiotic context. Books like Manufacturing Consent (1988) — co-authored with Edward Herman — became a bible for students and activists looking to apply Chomsky's so-called "propaganda model" of media criticism and linguistically unlock the way political and military elites maintain legitimacy.
Yet while the darling of the global anti-imperialist left, Chomsky has faced sustained criticism for whitewashing the genocide committed by the communist Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
"What filters through to the American public is a seriously distorted version of the evidence available, emphasizing alleged Khmer Rouge atrocities and downplaying or ignoring the crucial US role, direct and indirect," wrote Chomsky in The Nation about the unfolding horror in Cambodia.
Chomsky has also been criticized for refusing to call the 1995 Srebrenica Massacre in Bosnia a genocide, again focusing instead on alleged US war crimes that he says have never been held to account. "[It's] certainly a horror story and major crime, but to call it "genocide” so cheapens the word," he told English journalist George Monbiot in 2011 of the Srebrenica Massacre.
Despite such controversies, Chomsky has remained one of the world's foremost public intellectuals throughout his eighties, a tireless advocates for peace (lately in Yemen), human rights, economic equality and climate justice via constant public speaking and media appearances. He has also been an outspoken supporter of the work of Wikileaks and Julian Assange.
"An intellectual and moral teacher and inspiration the likes of which one rarely encounters in the human record," said left news site Counterpunch on the eve of Chomksy's 90th birthday.
The publication contrasted the thinker's legacy with that of the recently deceased George H. W. Bush, of whom Chomsky was a major critic — primarily for invading Iraq during the 1990 Gulf War, and for Bush's invasion of Panama to overthrow Manuel Noriega the year before.
Though the dissident intellectual has been a fierce opponent of US imperialism under both major political parties in America, in 2017 he called the Republican Party "the most dangerous organization in human history" for its consistent rejection of the science of climate change.
"Has there ever been an organization in human history that is dedicated, with such commitment, to the destruction of organized human life on Earth?” he said in an interview with Amy Goodman of the Democracy Now news program after President Trump pulled the US out of the Paris climate agreement.
While nonagenarian Chomsky might no longer be protesting on the front lines, his words have not lost their impact.
Linguistics is the one thing he actually knows something about. His theories have been a large influence on computer science as well.
He’s not dead.
Well said.
The evil seem to live longer.
...the darling of the global anti-imperialist left, Chomsky has faced sustained criticism for whitewashing the genocide committed by the communist Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
The only reason the bastard lived that long is, it was illegal to kill him. Good riddance to that POS.
He’s not dead.
Yes, for a moment there I was thinking this was an obituary. Ah well, patience.
“Recent studies have uncovered that the brain of human neonates displays a typical signature in response to speech sounds even a few hours after birth. This suggests that neuroscience and linguistics converge on the view that, to a large extent, language acquisition arises due to our genetic endowment.”
Why is Language Unique to Humans?
Percept, Decision, Action: Bridging the Gaps: Novartis Foundation Symposium 270
I heard him speak once in the early 1980s. This was shortly after Israel invaded southern Lebanon to go after the PLO. He made various predictions about the dire consequences of the Israeli invasion, none of which materialized as far as I can remember.
This guy is a chaotic, irrational thinker. For a linguist, he can hardly string together rational, coherent thoughts in writing or speaking.
That’s too bad.
L
“Intellectual” - LOL
Nothing but a two-bit street punk.
While evil lives on, seemingly forever.
they just keep going on and on.....
what a gift to be in America and all he has ever done is condemn us....
Stop with all the gibberish about linguistics, syntax, grammar, transformation, etc. Chumpsky is a red diaper baby garden variety old school communist. Period.
i·ro·ny /ˈīrənē/ noun noun: irony
the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.
His contributions to linguistics lead to a technical revolution in the computer industry that did more to drive a nail into the coffin of communism and insure that captalism - which he despises - will continue long past his life time inspite of all his efforts.
That is both recursive and ironic.
I have little doubt that it doesn't escape him and that it has driven him nuts!
google LALR(1)
What the hell are you talking about? I merely stated that I hoped I was reading his obit!
You might want to adjust your meds, buddy!
He will spend the rest of his life trying to put the toothpaste back in the tub!
NET WORTH = $5 million
Meaning he had a net worth greater that 99.25% of the nation's population and 99.95% of the world's population.
Yet he was a bomb throwing Maoist and anarchist.
IOW he was a disciple of Saul Alinsky.
tub = tube.
I’d be dangerous if I could type, spell and speak properly.
see, saw, saw, see ...
Look!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SFQf_mc68M
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.