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Noam Chomsky Quotes - Page 37

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I think that in order to achieve progress in the study of language and human cognitive faculties in general it is necessary first to establish 'psychic distance' from the 'mental facts' to which Köhler referred, and

I think that in order to achieve progress in the study of language and human cognitive faculties in general it is necessary first to establish 'psychic distance' from the 'mental facts' to which Köhler referred, and then to explore the possibilities for developing explanatory theories... We must recognize that even the most familiar phenomena require explanation and that we have no privileged access to the underlying mechanisms, no more so than in physiology or physics.

Noam Chomsky
Distance, Thinking, Order

There are plenty of things that are unknown, but are assumed reasonably to exist, even in the most basic sciences. Maybe 90 percent of the mass-energy in the universe is called "dark," because nobody knows what it is.

Noam Chomsky
Dark, Energy, Mass
"Science in the Dock". Science & Technology News Intreview, chomsky.info. March 1, 2006.

If you want to scare people, you talk about evil.

Noam Chomsky
People, Evil, Nihilism
Institute Professor Department of Linguistics and Philosophy Noam Chomsky, Noam Chomsky, John Junkerman, Takei Masakazu (2015). “Power and Terror: Conflict, Hegemony, and the Rule of Force”, p.128, Routledge

The great soul of power extends far beyond states, to every domain of life, from families to international affairs. And throughout, every form of authority and domination bears a severe burden of proof. It is not self-legitimizing. And when it cannot bear the burden, as is commonly the case, it should be dismantled.

Noam Chomsky
Self, Burden Of Proof, Soul

The goal is a society in which the basic social unit is you and your television set. If the kid next door is hungry, it’s not your problem. If the retired couple next door invested their assets badly and are now starving, that’s not your problem either.

Noam Chomsky
Couple, Kids, Doors
Noam Chomsky (2011). “How the World Works”, p.224, Soft Skull Press

We're supposed to worship Adam Smith but you're not supposed to read him. That's too dangerous.

Noam Chomsky
Worship, Adam, Dangerous
YouTube Channel "PHubb"/"Noam Chomsky - No Mas Muertes!", www.youtube.com. May 01, 2010.

If you want to end terrorism stop participating in it.

Noam Chomsky
Want, Terrorism, Ends

The atrocities in Cambodia are a direct and understandable response to the violence of the imperial system.

Noam Chomsky
War, Atrocities, Violence

Barron and Paul...rely on 'specialists' at the State and Defense Departments...Elsewhere in the media, similiar figures are bandied about, with equal credibility.

Noam Chomsky
War, Media, Defense

You might recall, perhaps, that we were probably the only commentators to rely on the most knowledgeable source, State Department intelligence.

Noam Chomsky
War, Might, States

What can one say about a country where a museum of science in a great city can feature an exhibit in which people fire machine guns from a helicopter at Vietnamese huts, with a light flashing when a hit is scored? What can one say about a country where such an idea can even be considered? You have to weep for this country.

Noam Chomsky
Country, War, Gun
Institute Professor Department of Linguistics and Philosophy Noam Chomsky, Noam Chomsky (2010). “American Power and the New Mandarins”, p.28, ReadHowYouWant.com

Anything that you are achieving that undermines and threatens systems of power will meet with oppression. Systems of power don't say 'thank you.' What's important is not to focus all your efforts on the oppression, but to continue the constructive work.

Noam Chomsky
Focus, Effort, Important

If we move toward the weaponisation of space, we can bid farewell to the planet. The chances of survival are very slight.

Noam Chomsky
Moving, Farewell, Space

In some ways, [the student anti-sweatshop movement] is like the anti-apartheid movement, except that in this case its striking at the core of the relations of exploitation. Much of this was initiated by Charlie Kernaghan of the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights.

Noam Chomsky
Impact, Rights, Sweatshops

The media are a corporate monopoly. They have the same point of view. The two parties are two factions of the business party. Most of the population doesn't even bother voting because it looks meaningless. They're marginalized and properly distracted. At least that's the goal.

Noam Chomsky
Party, Views, Media
Noam Chomsky (2011). “Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda”, p.29, Seven Stories Press

As long as each individual is facing the television tube alone, formal freedom poses no threat to privilege

Noam Chomsky
Long, Television, Privilege
Noam Chomsky (1992). “Deterring Democracy”, p.76, Macmillan

You know, we have little bits of understanding, glimpses, a little bit of light here and there, but there's a tremendous amount of darkness, which is a challenge. I think life would be pretty boring if we understood everything. It's better if we don't understand anything and know that we don't, that's the important part.

Noam Chomsky
Thinking, Light, Challenges
Interview in Cardiff, Wales, UK, March 11, 2011.

ISIS is a monstrosity. It didn't come from nowhere. It's one of the results of the U.S. hitting a very vulnerable society - Iraq - with a sledgehammer.

Noam Chomsky
Iraq, Isis, Hitting

There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.

Noam Chomsky
Information, May, Assumption
Noam Chomsky (2016). “Who Rules the World?”, p.39, Metropolitan Books

The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor led to many very good things. If you follow the trail, it led to kicking Europeans out of Asia - that saved tens of millions of lives in India alone.

Noam Chomsky
India, Kicking, Pearls
"The Devil’s Accountant" by Larissa MacFarquhar, www.newyorker.com. March 31, 2003.

From now on I will consider a language to be a set (finite or infinite) of sentences, each finite in length and constructed out ofa finite set of elements. All natural languages in their spoken or written form are languages in this sense.

Noam Chomsky
Elements, Language, Infinite
Noam Chomsky (2002). “Syntactic Structures”, p.13, Walter de Gruyter

Syntax is the study of the principles and processes by which sentences are constructed in particular languages. Syntactic investigation of a given language has as its goal the construction of a grammar that can be viewed as a device of some sort for producing the sentences of the language under analysis.

Noam Chomsky
Goal, Principles, Analysis
Noam Chomsky (2002). “Syntactic Structures”, p.11, Walter de Gruyter

What happened in the missile crisis in October 1962 has been prettified to make it look as if acts of courage and thoughtfulness abounded. The truth is that the whole episode was almost insane.

Noam Chomsky
Insane, Looks, October
"How to destroy the future" by Noam Chomsky, www.theguardian.com. June 4, 2013.

Cuba has become a symbol of courageous resistance to attack. Since 1959, Cuba has been under attack from the hemispheric superpower.

Noam Chomsky
Cuba, Resistance, Courageous

I know some really outstanding Turkish journalists, and have been pleased and honored to be able to join with them a few times in their courageous protests against state terror and repression.

Noam Chomsky
Able, Courageous, States

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