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Quote by Noam Chomsky

“In the sciences particularly the large public universities must and do take an active role in fostering creativity and independence; otherwise the fields will wither, and along with them even the aspirations of wealth and power.”

Quote by Noam Chomsky

Author

Noam Chomsky, born on December 7, 1928, is a renowned linguist from the United States. His research in generative grammar and transformational grammar has had a profound impact on modern linguistics. Chomsky's academic achievements extend beyond linguistics, as he is also an active political commentator and philosopher, known for his unique perspective and profound insights. more

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“In my experience at least, the large public universities do not fall behind in fostering creativity and independence; often the contrary.”

Fall Behinds Creativity Independence University Contrary Fostering

Author:Noam Chomsky

“The focus on creativity and independence exists in pockets of resistance in the educational system, which, to thrive, should be integrated with the needs and concerns of the great majority of the population. One finds them everywhere.”

Needs Should Creativity Focus Concern Independence Majority Population Educational Resistance Thrive Pockets Integrated Educational System

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Intellectuals of the categories happen to enjoy unusual privilege, unique in history, I suppose. It's easy enough to find ugly illustrations of repression, malice, dishonesty, marginalization and exclusion in the academic world.”

World Enough Happens Easy Enjoy Unique Privilege Ugly Categories Unusual Academic Dishonesty Malice Repression Exclusion Illustration Marginalization

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Dissidents are not imprisoned as in the domains of the Kremlin, in the old days. They do not have their brains blown out by elite forces armed and trained by the reigning superpower, as happens in Washington's domains - with no particular concern at home - an important fact, one of many that help us learn about ourselves, if we choose.”

Ifs Important Facts Helping Home Happens Force Brain Particular Concern Elites Domain Old Days Superpower Dissidents Kremlin

Author:Noam Chomsky

“How many educated Americans can even remember the names of the assassinated Jesuit intellectuals of El Salvador, or would know where to find a word they wrote? The answers are revealing, particularly when we draw the striking - and historically typical - contrast to the attitudes towards their counterparts in enemy domains.”

Knows Remember Names Answers Attitude Enemy Draws Educated Contrast Typical Domain Revealing Counterparts Jesuit El Salvador

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Given their unusual privilege, Western intellectuals can realistically accomplish a great deal. The limits are imposed by will more than objective circumstances. And about human will predictions are without value.”

Humans Values Given Deals Circumstances Limits Western Privilege Accomplish Objectives Unusual Predictions Human Will

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Personally, I am uneasy about the notion of "a politically engaged university," for reasons I wrote about over 30 years ago, at the height of protest and resistance (reprinted in For Reasons of State).”

Years States Reason Years Ago Notion University Resistance Height Engaged Protest Uneasy

Author:Noam Chomsky

“I felt that we could hardly improve on the conception of the university expressed by one of the founders of the modern system, Wilhelm von Humboldt, also one of the founders of classical liberalism. That seems to me true today as well, though ideals of course have to be adapted to changing circumstances.”

Wells Seems Today Courses Felt Modern Circumstances Ideals University Liberalism Conception Founders Adapted Classical Liberalism

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Individuals in a university - students, faculty, staff - can choose to become politically engaged, and a free university should foster a climate in which those are natural choices.”

Should Choices Individual Natural Students Climate University Engaged Faculty Staff University Students

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Insofar as the universities are free and independent, they will also be "subversive," in the sense that dominant structures of power and their ideological support will be subjected to challenge and critique, a counterpart to attitudes that are fostered in the hard sciences wherever they are taken seriously.”

Hard Challenges Attitude Support Taken Independent Structure University Dominant Critique Ideological Subversive Counterparts

Author:Noam Chomsky