Neophite

I've been getting into Noam Chomsky lately. He's really woken me up to the imperialist history of the US. I wanted to know what the rest of the people here thought of him. Like him? Hate him? What's your thoughts about the guy?

Toltec

He has several guises, as a political philosopher, a linguist, a language philosopher and political historian.

As linguist I can't judge him I don't know enough about the subject. As a language philosopher his theories are pretty mainstream and conservative and bit dated. As a historian his output is excellent, I particularly like his work on the forgotten war between Indonesia and Britain (fought as the same time as the US Vietnam conflict). His politics I always found a little idealistic and naive in the past, however since the demise of the left he's become more realistic and libertarian.

pinguin

Well, Chomsky is the single American that has seen the U.S. like it is: an imperialist country, which has produced suffering on half the surface of the world.

okamido

good grief..

pikeshot1600

He may have awakened you, but he puts most to sleep. Chomsky is a very naive "fish out of water" who should have been sticking to linguistics - something he knows. Politically, he has not had a new idea since the 1960s, and the world has passed him by.

pikeshot1600

Incidentally, why is this in military history?

Edgewaters

Well, that's just factually incorrect. He only published two books on politics in the sixties, and they were both narrowly focussed on the Vietnam War and the "intellectual class" in the US. Barely a passing word about capitalism etc. Chomsky's politics can't be considered fully formed, or at least articulated, in their present form much before the late 70s or early 80s. And even then it's not exactly accurate. His most notable political theory - the "propaganda model" - wasn't developed until 1988.

Belisarius

Fair point. Thread moved to Art and Cultural History, although if anyone has a better location in mind, let me know.

Personally, from what I've read of Chomsky, I'm in the "like him" camp.

MarkA

Half!? Not sure that is enough.

I have read lots of his work, he does sometimes get a bit carried away, but certainly most of what he says is easily confirmed.

Problem is, the average American refuses to believe even the slightest "negative" point about their "great" nation, those that do realise, simply don't give a damn.

Normal American reaction to criticism, is to cast about for someone else to blame, or try to redirect the issue back toward another nations historical past.

Mark

tksensei

Chomsky's a brilliant linguist, but just another hysterical anti-American extremist when it comes to politics.