Chomsky -_ a =. a a a) cr) as = a) a PAUL GORDONIntroduction [Noam Chomsky is one of the ten most-quoted writers of all time. The Chicago Tribune has called Professor Chomsky "the most cited living author," adding that among intellectual luminaries of all eras, he ranks eighth, just behind Plato and Sigmund Freud."To confront a mind that radically alters our pérception of the world is one of life's most unsettling, yet liberating experiences," i swrites James Feck in the Introduction to The Chomsky Reader. “in all American history, no one’s writings are more*yneettling than Noam Chomsky’s..~” No intellectual tradition quite captures his voice... No party claims him; he is a spokesman for no ideology.” And the Mother of Amherican newapapers, | The New York Times, called Noam Chomeky “arguably the moet Importar : intellectual alive?” Oain Whok 'n the 19908, this ie otill the most frequent response to the mention of the name of Noam Chomsky, a mild-mannered professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.(Why, you might wonder, have 50 many of us never heard of someone so “famous?” |6 this the ultimate Yoqi-Berra-iom—He’s 60 famous no one's ever heard of him?) The reason you haven't heard If too many people lis~ much about Noam Chomsky | ten open-mindedly to what (which, by the way, Is a | Chomsky has to say about demonstration in action of | huge corporations running his thesis that the Media | the country, the world, both manipulates —/die- political parties, and the torts/withholds Major Media...why, Information to» suit their Sag: e the gentle WI Major Medi don’t want” yor to know ea Noam Chorféky. >‘hinge about: Chomeky le that he jough our leaders have lied to us and Media has parroted their lies, evenOur government serves the. needs of some and ignores the needs of others, With regard to most of the issues that affect most of the people, the major political parties are virtually identical. The news media do not give a full, balancea picture of political events. Above all, our government, our politi- cians, and our media, ignore the needs of the majority and serve the needs of the rich. Things seem to be ; getting worse. J Note These are not Chomsky’s words, nor are they paraphrase they are the author meerprezations.This documentary comic book is an attempt to help rem- edy that situation by present- ing Chomekys ideas to people who have not been exposed to them. It does not presume to sum up the work of Noam Chomsky. It is meant as a gen- eral Introduction, an attempt to begin to anewer the ques- tion "Who?" and an invitation to those who are unfamiliar with his ideas to look for themselves into the very pressing isoues that he raises. Noam Chomsky has articulat- ed a system of ideas that can help us make sence of our intuitions and misgivings— and to know which are justified and which are not. Because Chomsky's ideas about poli- tics are antithetical to the purposes of the mace media—and to the rich gen- tlemen who own them—his ideas are rarely encountered in the mainstream. (‘These institutions are not self- destructive, after all," he says.)For those who may be completely [iI Einstein's theory of UE ac SAE Relativity, Chomsky’s ideas ME about: linguistics have spread in OTe eat Pe | ‘their influence, and their effects emer are gradu- eer eo ally filter~ Uae ing down Lal 7 to the eee lives of ees ordinary Se people. Coe But his guisti work as a ee ea Te social and guage its political theorist ae and as a “media critic" is oe of press- ro ing impor- and tance rate right now Pete to every erage one who is TCC concerned ene] about. the CS survival of eens democrat involved in ic inetitu- tures? tions, the protection of human Cae a rights and freedom, and the See reservation of a habitable ervi- Ca ronment. It is this work that is of SECRETE EE most pressing relevance to the NRE UIC EM general public. Chomsky ie not a eC eRe Rage philosopher you leave in the be even less heard of in the mai clazsroom: he helps you live your Ee life,ee And don't worry- Chomsky is not a difficult read. Chomsky is common sense elevated to genius. Life is like a box of chocolates... First, a little background: How did Noam Chomsky come to be one of thi ten most-quoted authors of all time, “arguably the most important intellectual alive"? Well, among other things, he was a’college drop-out.& homsky is reluctant to talk about his life. "I'm rather against the whole notion of making public personali- ties, of having some people be stars and all ‘that," he says, Cults of pereonality distract people from real issues, The media are so absorbed with these public pereonalities, that “air time" io almost totally dominated with gossip, the details of hideous violent crimes, or sports. There is little information about: anything you can do anything constructive about, including most of what: your government is doing. But though Chomsky may, feel that the Therefore we will take a quick look. But in deference to the man, we won't spend very long on the subject.[\er Noam Chomsky was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, on December 7, 1928. One of two sons, Chomsky was a child during the Great Depression, which began with the stock market crash in 1929 and lasted until World War tl. The Chomsky family was spared the worst aspects of the Depression because both parents had Jobs. The effects of the crisis were still profound, however, aid Chomsky saya that some of his earliest memories are Depression scenes: people celling rage at the door, police violently breaking strikes, and 60 on. te both worked as Hebrew teachers, Noam's father Chomeky was.a noted Hebrew scholar and the ‘of Hebrew, the Eternal Language, one of the most where there were no grades, where there as competition, and na euch thing as aHis family was practically the only Jewish family in a bitterly anti-Semitic Irih and German Catholic neighborhood where there wae open support for the Nazis until the U.S. entered World War Il. Chomsky was exposed to anti-Semitiem on the streets and profoundly affected by the rise of fasciem in Europe during the ‘30s. All right, claes, it’s time to take attendance... Billy Himmler? i SOI POG SBI X55] His first published piece of writing was an editorial for hie school newpa- per about the fall of Barcelona. At the age of 12 he wrote a history of the Spanish Civil War. “It was really a lament about the rise of fasciem."the Kiosk He often visited an uncle in New York City who operated a magazine Kosk at the subway exit at 72nd and Broadway. Chomaky says his uncle wae a hunchback with a background in “crime and lefe-wing politics” Because of his disability, he qualified to operate a kiosk. It was at- the less trafficked exit of the subway entrance and did poorly ae a business, but in the late ‘0s it became a hangout. for European emigres. Young Chomsky epentt: many hours there participating In lively discussions of issues and ideas that took place on an almost ongoing basis, Chomsky says the kiosk was where he received his political education. Hie uncle was also well-versed in the work of Sigmund Freud, and Chomsky devel oped a broad understanding of Freudian theory while stil a teenager.In New York he discovered the anarchist. book shops on. Fourth’ Avenue where he would often browse and read. Chomsky has described an experience that affected him deeply i wich a bully was picking on “the standard fat kid" and everyon ‘Supperted the bully while no one came to the aid of the victim. easy "I stood up for him for a while," he says. "Then | got scared." Afterwards he was ashamed and resolved that in-the future he would support the underdog, those unjustly oppressed. "! wae always on the side of the losers," he seid, “like the Spanich anarchists." 8On the day of the Hiroshima bombing, says Chomsky, "I literally couldn't taik to any one. There was nobody. I just walked off by myself... I could never talk to anyone about it and néver under- stood anyone's reaction.” [CR] Though Chomsky is known for hie intel- lect, his political ideas are driven more by moral principles. He wae appalled by the way people taunted German prisoners through the barbed wire at a prison camp neat his high school as though it was the patriotic thing to do to. At the same time, Chomsky was much more passion- ately opposed to Nazism than the people who were taunting the soldiers. That’s a prevty big cloud hanging over your head...college Drepeutt Ta manage the expense of college, he commuted several houre a day to attend the unWversity while living at home, He also worked an a Hebrew teacher evenings, afternoons, and Sundays, But his enthusiasm for the university waned, He lost interest. In every oubject he enrolled in, After two years, he decided ta drop out, But he maintained his lifelong interest in radical politics and became evan more deeply involved in Zionist activitlas. Many years later, in upholding many of the same principles, he would be called atrtl-Zioniet, O-K, forget it... lets turn chomsky considered this thing around... going to Palestine to help to further Arab-Jewish cooper- ation within a socialist frame- work, But he was put off by the “deeply anti-democ- ratic" concept of a Jewish state.Under Harris’ influertce, Chomsky returned to college and studied lin- quistics. He calle hie university experience “unconventional.” The linguistics department was a small group of graduate etudente who shared political and other inter- este and met in restaurants or in Harrie! apartment, for all-day die cussion sessions. Chomaky immersed himself in linguistics, phi- losophy, and logic, He was awarded BA and MA degrees though he had very little contact with the univers sity system. He married linguist Carol Schaz In 1949. They were to have a ean atid two daughters. One of Chomeky's philosophy teachers was Nelson Goodman, who introduced him to the Society 16 of Fellows at Harvard. He was admitted in 1951 and awarded a evipend, which freed him for the firet time in his life from the neces sity to work outside of his research. ‘Here you ga, kid... Ym off to doIn 1953, while a member of the Society of Fellows, Chomsky went to Israel and lived on a kibbutz for a few months. There was the but it. little food and work was hard, Chomsky enjoyed He saw the kibbutz as a functioning and successful libertarian community. Chomeky and his wife considered going back to live on the kibbutz. He had no hopes or interest in an academic career and nothing holding him in the United States, But he was uncomfortable with the conformism and the raciot principles underlying the institution. Chomsky had been opposed to the for- | mation of a Jewish state in 1947-48 because he felt the socialist insti- tutions of the pre-otate Jewish settlement in Palestine would not survive the state system. When his term at Society of Fellows was echeduled to end in 1954 he had no job prospects, 60 he asked for an ‘extension. Hie wife had gone back to the kibbutz for a longer visit and the two planned to return to stay. Instead Chomsky received a research position at MIT. and became immersed in lin- guistics. "7In 1955 he received a Ph.D. from ‘the University of Pennsylvania om the basis of his submission of a chap- ter of a book he was working on. Though the hook was virtually complete in 1956, it was so unconventional at the time that it was not published until 1975, and then only in part, as Logical. Structure of Linguistic Theory. Well, it’s an interesting book, Mr. Chomoky, albeit a little unconventional. Perhaps we'll publish part of it some- time soon...Political activism In the 1260's the escalation of the Vietnam war forced Chomsky to make a moral choice. He began active resio~ tance to the war knowing that it: was very likely that he would have to spend time in prison for it. He put a very com- fortable position in academia in jeop- ardy to protest the war. Asked about why he took that risk, Chomaky has said, “It has to do with being able to look yourself in the eye in the morning," in 1966, Chomsky’ inca ‘ab article: Intellectuals" which appeared in:The: cle was widely acclaimed ai ‘Intellectuals are in a position to expose the lies of governments, to ana- \yze actions according to their caus- es and motives and often hidden intentions, In the Western world at least, they have the power that comes from political liber- ty, from access to Information and freedom of expression, For 4 privileged minority, Weetern democracy provides the leloure, the facilities and the training to seek the truth lying hidden behind the veil of distor- tion and mierepresentation, ideology, and. class interest through which the events of cur- rent history are presented to us..." 19"American aggressiveness, however it may be masked in pious rhetoric, ie a dominant force in world affairs and must be analyzed in terms of its causes and motives.” [*NY Review of Books} jot iong after that artide appeared, the New York Review ; stopped publishing submissions by Chomsky. they were” {ittle more ‘than flunkles who dressed the lies of the ruling class in fancy. language and Jooked the other way when their Wn government committed atrocities that they wouldn’t hesitate to condemn if they'd been perpetrated by any other country. To the ruthlessly hottest Chomsky, you judged your friends, your enemies, and yourself by the same set of rules. Anything else would be cheating, wouldn't it?In October 1967, Chomsky partici- pated in the demonstrations that took place at the Fentagon and the Justice Department and was one of many who were jailed. Norman Mailer, who shared a cell with Chomsky described hirn in the late Chomsky articles, expressing Since mak- ing the commit- ment to be politi- cally active in ‘608, Professor hae written a steady stream of books, and pamphlets his views. He appeare almost anywhere The Armies of the Night, ae "a olim, eis invited to speak or discuss hia shacp-featured man with an ascetic expression and an air of gentle but abeolute moral integrity." Despite the variety of his interests and pursuits, Chansky's spring forth fully, formed, fully As with any important thinker, Chomsky's system of ideas rests on the work of many fine thinkers who preceded him. We'll have a look at some of the more notable anes. views, In the meantime, he remains 8 professor of linguistics at Mit. aThe Shoulders of Giants— PN Casal) Tom ATLA CGE. (G28-BE4B.E) (renee along with every thinker In the tradition of Western Philosophy, owes something to Plata for laying a foundation for philoso- phy with his dedication to truth- secking and his concern for develop- ing a rational moral pereonality. Plato asked, "How can a human know eo much that he seems to have had little evidence for?" Chomsky asks the same question about the way children easily master language. In Chomsky’ approach to the study of linguistics and the cognitive processes, he, like Plato, searches for abstract and ideal forms ae explanations rather than merely drawing generalizations from observations. {n Plato's Republic, he envi- sioned an ideal society in which Justice io the ruling principle, an ideal which Chomsky would share. But Chomsky deviates fromPlato's belief in the establishment of a hierar- chy which places intellectuals in a privileged class. Plato rejected democracy because in it political power io not attached to special qualifications, Chomsky prizes the democratic princi- ple. Both reject tyranny, the exercise oF irresponsible power by amoral men of rieninal will Rene Descartes (1896-1 GEO) Descartes is often callea ; “The Father of Modern Philosophy.” Chomsky says that reliable, though limit- he believes in ed conclusions, “Cartesian common Descartes sense," the began by scientific rejecting all method as philosophy laid out in before him Discourse and on Method attempting by Des- to establish cartes. In it, reliable Descartes lays premises upon out rules to help which to build a navigate safely through system of thought that chains of logic to reach would yield the truth. 23He had a dream that convinced him that, since the senses may deceive us, all true knowledge must come from reagon alone. . He had 20 much trouble finding | any premises that he could believe in that he finally broke everything down to one basic principle. All he could be sure of, he said, was that he was think- | ing. From that he rea | soned that it was safe to say he must: exist. "| think there- fore | am" became the starting premise of his philosophy. Hie method for: thinking logically toward reliable oriclusions incllided the folloning rules: © Accept only clear. and distinct ese, # Break each problem into ae many parte ” a6 heceeeary to eolve It. * Work from the simple to the. sore xe — check fot ee al [In all of Chomsky’s thinking, he adheres tightly to these basic principles. In linguis- a tice he moves beyond mere observation and tries to establish explanatory principles. He FY) iso brings scientific discipline to his obser- vations of politics and the functioning of media.