Home / Quotes / Quote by Noam Chomsky

Quote by Noam Chomsky

“Pascal in his bitter rendition of the practices of the Jesuit intellectuals he despised, including their demonstration of "the utility of interpretation," a device of manufacturing consent based on reinterpretation of sacred texts to serve wealth, power, and privilege.”

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

You May Also Like

“[Isaiah] Berlin's observation is accurate enough, and applies at home as well, and even more harshly for the reasons already mentioned: the apparatchiks and commissars could at least plead fear in extenuation.”

Wells Reason Enough Home Observation Accurate Berlin

Author:Noam Chomsky

“The beam in our own eye is harder to detect, although - or more accurately because - to detect it, and remove it, is vastly more important on elementary moral grounds, and commonly more important in terms of direct human consequences as well. Intellectuals have historically played a critical function in performing these tasks, and [Ivan] Illich is right to observe that claims to scientific expertise and special knowledge are often used as a device.”

Humans Wells Important Eye Used Term Moral Special Consequence Tasks Direct Function Claims Harder Critical Performing Remove Devices Expertise Beam

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Those who actually do have a valid claim to such special competence have a particular obligation to make very clear to the general public the limits of what is understood at any serious level; these limits are typically very narrow in matters of significance in human affairs.”

Humans Matter Levels Clear Special Particular Serious Limits Understood Claims Affair Obligation Significance Competence General Public

Author:Noam Chomsky

“I pretend no originality in observing that mass education was motivated in part by the perceived need to "educate them to keep them from our throats," to borrow Ralph Waldo Emerson's parody of elite fears that inspired early advocates of public mass education.”

Needs Mass Inspired Motivated Throat Educate Elites Originality Observing Parody Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo

Author:Noam Chomsky

“More generally, independent farmers had to be trained to become docile workers in the expanding industrial system. It was necessary to drive from their heads evil ideas, such as the belief that wage labor was not much different from chattel slavery. That continues to the present, now sometimes taking the form of an attack on public education.”

Ideas Different Sometimes Form Evil Belief Labor Independent Slavery Workers Farmers Expanding Public Education Docile

Author:Noam Chomsky

“The attack on Social Security is similarly motivated. Social Security is based on the conception is that we should have sympathy for others, not function merely as isolated "rational wealth maximizers."”

Should Social Wealth Security Should Have Function Rational Conception Motivated Isolated Social Security

Author:Noam Chomsky

“As elite attitudes towards public education over time illustrate, simple formulas are far from adequate. There are conflicting tendencies.”

Simple Attitude Tendencies Formulas Elites Adequate Public Education

Author: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.”

Wealth Roles Creativity Fields Independence University Active Aspiration Fostering

Author:Noam Chomsky

“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