20 Best Books By Noam Chomsky (2023 Update)

Two of chomsky's most famous and accessible works available in an affordable and attractive edition. described by the "new york times" as "arguably the most important intellectual alive," noam chomsky is known throughout the world for his highly influential writings on language and politics. featuring two of chomsky's most popular and enduring books in one omnibus volume, "on language" contains some of the noted linguist and political critic's most informal and accessible work to date, making it an ideal introduction to his thought. in part i, "language and responsibility" (1979), chomsky presents a fascinating self-portrait of his political, moral, and linguistic thinking through a series of interviews with mitsou ronat, the noted french linguist. in part ii, "reflections on language" (1975), chomsky explores the more general implications of the study of language and offers incisive analyses of the controversies among psychologists, philosophers, and linguists over fundamental questions of language.

The chomsky reader brings together for the first time the political thought of american's leading dissident intellectual—“arguably the most important intellectual alive” (the new york times). at the center of practically every major debate over america's role in the world, one finds noam chomsky's ideas—sometimes attacked, sometimes studiously ignored, but always a powerful presence.drawing from his published and unpublished work, the chomsky reader reveals the awesome range of this ever-critical mind—from global questions of war and peace to the most intricate questions of human intelligence, iq, and creativity. it reveals the underlying radical coherency of his view of the world—from his enormously influential attacks on america's role in vietnam to his perspective on nicaragua and central america today. chomsky's challenge to accepted wisdom about israel and the palestinians has caused a furor in america, as have his trenchant essays on the real nature of terrorism in our age. no one has dissected more graphically the character of the cold war consensus and the way it benefits the two superpowers, or argued more thoughtfully for a shared elitist ethos in liberalism and communism. no one has exposed more logically america's acclaimed freedoms as masking irresponsible power and unjustified privilege, or argued quite so insistently that the “free press” is part of a stultifying conformity that pervades all aspects of american intellectual life.in a lengthy interview with the editor, chomsky discussed his thought in the context of his personal history.

Manufacturing consent noam chomsky and the media, the companion book to the award-winning film, charts the life of america's most famous dissident, from his boyhood days running his uncle's newsstand in manhattan to his current role as outspoken social critic. a complete transcript of the film is complemented by key excerpts from the writings, interviews and correspondence. also included are exchanges between chomsky and his critics, historical and biographical material, filmmakers' notes, a resource guide, more than 270 stills from the film and 18 "philosopher all-stars" trading cards! mark achbar has applied a wide range of creative abilities and technical skills to over 50 films, videos, and books. he has worked as editor, researcher and production coordinator. "a juicily subversive biographical/philosophical documentary bristling and buzzing with ideas."-washington post "you will see the whole sweep of the most challenging critic in modern political thought."-boston globe "one of our real geniuses, an excellent introduction."-village voice "an intellectually challenging crash course in the man's cooly contentious analysis, laying out his thoughts in a package that is clever and accessible."-los angeles times contents: the man. early influences. vietnam a turning point. on his role. thought control in democratic societies. a propaganda model. the gulf "war". a case study cambodia & east timor. concision a structural constraint. "sports rap with noam chomsky." a cabal of anti-conspiricists. alternative media. the linguist. basic premises. nim chimsky: chimpanzee. and the elusive connection to his politics. the social order. on education. anarchism/libertarian socialism. resistance & critical analysis. william f. buckley, jr. "firing line". david frum journalist, washington post. jeff greenfield producer, "nightline". karl e. meyer editorial writer, the new york times. peter worthington editor, the ottawa sun. the critics (other elites). fritz bolkestein former dutch minister of defense. michel foucault philosopher. yossi olmert tel aviv university. john silber

A new york times bestseller! in his first major book on the subject of income inequality, noam chomsky skewers the fundamental tenets of neoliberalism and casts a clear, cold, patient eye on the economic facts of life. what are the ten principles of concentration of wealth and power at work in america today? they're simple enough: reduce democracy, shape ideology, redesign the economy, shift the burden onto the poor and middle classes, attack the solidarity of the people, let special interests run the regulators, engineer election results, use fear and the power of the state to keep the rabble in line, manufacture consent, marginalize the population. in requiem for the american dream, chomsky devotes a chapter to each of these ten principles, and adds readings from some of the core texts that have influenced his thinking to bolster his argument.to create requiem for the american dream, chomsky and his editors, the filmmakers peter hutchison, kelly nyks, and jared p. scott, spent countless hours together over the course of five years, from 2011 to 2016. after the release of the film version, chomsky and the editors returned to the many hours of tape and transcript and created a document that included three times as much text as was used in the film. the book that has resulted is nonetheless arguably the most succinct and tightly woven of chomsky's long career, a beautiful vessel–including old-fashioned ligatures in the typeface–in which to carry chomsky's bold and uncompromising vision, his perspective on the economic reality and its impact on our political and moral well-being as a nation." during the great depression, which i'm old enough to remember, it was bad–much worse subjectively than today.

In 9-11, noam chomsky comments on the september 11th attacks, the new war on terrorism, osama bin laden, u.s. involvement with afghanistan, media control, and the long-term implications of america's military attacks abroad. informed by his deep understanding of the gravity of these issues and the global stakes, 9-11 demonstrates chomsky's impeccable knowledge of u.s. foreign policy in the middle east and south asia, and sheds light on the rapidly shifting balance of world power. speaking out against escalating violence, chomsky critically examines the united states' own foreign policy record and considers what international institutions might be employed against underground networks and national states accused of terrorism. 9-11's analysis still stands as a measure of how well the media is able to serve its role of informing the citizenry, so crucial to our democracy in times of war.

In 9-11, noam chomsky comments on the september 11th attacks, the new war on terrorism, osama bin laden, u.s. involvement with afghanistan, media control, and the long-term implications of america's military attacks abroad. informed by his deep understanding of the gravity of these issues and the global stakes, 9-11 demonstrates chomsky's impeccable knowledge of u.s. foreign policy in the middle east and south asia, and sheds light on the rapidly shifting balance of world power. speaking out against escalating violence, chomsky critically examines the united states' own foreign policy record and considers what international institutions might be employed against underground networks and national states accused of terrorism. 9-11's analysis still stands as a measure of how well the media is able to serve its role of informing the citizenry, so crucial to our democracy in times of war.

The fiftieth anniversary edition of a landmark work in generative grammar that continues to be influential, with a new preface by the author. noam chomsky's aspects of the theory of syntax, published in 1965, was a landmark work in generative grammar that introduced certain technical innovations still drawn upon in contemporary work. the fiftieth anniversary edition of this influential book includes a new preface by the author that identifies proposals that seem to be of lasting significance, reviews changes and improvements in the formulation and implementation of basic ideas, and addresses some of the controversies that arose over the general framework.beginning in the mid-fifties and emanating largely from mit, linguists developed an approach to linguistic theory and to the study of the structure of particular languages that diverged in many respects from conventional modern linguistics. although the new approach was connected to the traditional study of languages, it differed enough in its specific conclusions about the structure of language to warrant a name, “generative grammar.” various deficiencies were discovered in the first attempts to formulate a theory of transformational generative grammar and in the descriptive analysis of particular languages that motivated these formulations. at the same time, it became apparent that these formulations can be extended and deepened. in this book, chomsky reviews these developments and proposes a reformulation of the theory of transformational generative grammar that takes them into account. the emphasis in this study is syntax; semantic and phonological aspects of the language structure are discussed only insofar as they bear on syntactic theory.

In on nature and language noam chomsky develops his thinking on the relation between language, mind and brain, integrating current research in linguistics into the burgeoning field of neuroscience. this 2002 volume begins with a lucid introduction by the editors adriana belletti and luigi rizzi. this is followed by some of chomsky's writings on these themes, together with a penetrating interview in which chomsky provides the clearest and most elegant introduction to current theory available. it should make his minimalist program accessible to all. the volume concludes with an essay on the role of intellectuals in society and government. nature and language is a significant landmark in the development of linguistic theory. it will be welcomed by students and researchers in theoretical linguistics, neurolinguistics, cognitive science and politics, as well as anyone interested in the development of chomsky's thought.

This is the third edition of chomsky's outstanding collection of essays on language and mind, first published in 2006. the first six chapters, originally published in the 1960s, made a groundbreaking contribution to linguistic theory. this edition complements them with an additional chapter and a new preface, bringing chomsky's influential approach into the twenty-first century. over the past fifty years, this framework has sparked an explosion of inquiry into a wide range of languages, and has yielded some major theoretical questions. the final chapter revisits the key issues, reviewing the 'biolinguistic' approach that has guided chomsky's work from its origins to the present day, and raising some novel and exciting challenges for the study of language and mind.

The perfect introduction to the wide-ranging thought of "the most widely read voice on foreign policy on the planet" (the new york times book review) "chomsky ranks with marx, shakespeare and the bible as one of the ten most quoted sources in the humanities." –the guardian noam chomsky remains one of our preeminent public intellectuals, a thinker whose works on international politics and the media are read worldwide. in understanding power, peter mitchell and john schoeffel have assembled the best of chomsky's talks on the politics of power. in a series of enlightening and wide-ranging discussions, all published here for the first time, chomsky radically interprets the events of the late twentieth century, covering topics from foreign policy during vietnam to the attacks on welfare under the clinton administration. and as he elucidates the connection between america's imperialistic foreign policy and the decline of domestic standards of living, chomsky also establishes a theory of social change. featuring his classic criticisms of media in capitalist society, as well as u.s. foreign and domestic policy, understanding power offers a sweeping critique of the world around us and is the definitive chomsky. characterized by chomsky's accessible and informative style, this is the ideal book for those new to his work as well as for those who have been reading for years.

Noam chomsky has written over 30 books, he is the most-quoted author on earth, the new york times calls him “arguably the most important intellectual alive” — yet most people have no idea who he is or what he's about.chomsky for beginners tells you what he's about: chomsky is known for his work in two distinct areas — linguistics and… “gadflying.” (“gadfly,” the word applied to socrates. comes closest to the constant social irritant that chomsky has become.) it is chomsky's work as political gadfly and media critic that has given passion and hope to the general public — and alienated the major media — which, of course, is why you don't know more about him.chomsky's message is very simple: huge corporations run our country, the world, both political parties, and major media. (you suspected it; chomsky proves it.) the few existing intros to chomsky cover either chomsky-the-linguist of chomsky-the-political-gadfly. chomsky for beginners covers both — plus an exclusive interview with the maverick genius. the clarity of david cogswell's text and the wit of paul gordon's illustrations make chomsky as easy to understand as the genius next door. words and art combine to clarify (but not oversimplify) the work and to “humorize” the man who may very well be what one savvy interviewer called him — “the smartest man on earth.”

In this historic 1971 debate, two of the twentieth century's most influential thinkers discuss whether there is such a thing as innate human nature. in 1971, at the height of the vietnam war and at a time of great political and social instability, two of the world's leading intellectuals, noam chomsky and michel foucault, were invited by dutch philosopher fons elders to debate an age-old question: is there such a thing as "innate" human nature independent of our experiences and external influences? the resulting dialogue is one of the most original, provocative, and spontaneous exchanges to have occurred between contemporary philosophers. above all, their discussion serves as a concise introduction to their two opposing theories. what begins as a philosophical argument rooted in linguistics (chomsky) and the theory of knowledge (foucault), soon evolves into a broader discussion encompassing a wide range of topics, from science, history, and behaviorism to creativity, freedom, and the struggle for justice in the realm of politics. in addition to the debate itself, this volume features a newly written introduction by noted foucault scholar john rajchman and includes substantial additional texts by chomsky and foucault. "[chomsky is] arguably the most important intellectual alive." –the new york times "foucault . . . leaves no reader untouched or unchanged." –edward said

"chomsky's backpocket classic on wartime propaganda and opinion control has been updated and expanded into a two-section book, and redesigned following the acclaimed format of his open media anti-war bestseller, 9-11. the new edition of media control also includes 'the journalist from mars, ' chomsky's 2002 talk on the media coverage of america's 'new war on terrorism.' chomsky begins by asserting two models of democracy — one in which the public actively participates, and one in which the public is manipulated and controlled. according to chomsky 'propaganda is to democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state, ' and the mass media is the primary vehicle for delivering propaganda in the united states. from an examination of how woodrow wilson's creel commission 'suceeded, within six months, in turning a pacifist population into a hysterical, war-mongering population, ' to bush sr.'s war on iraq, chomsky examines how the mass media and public relations industries have been used as propaganda to generate public support for going to war. chomsky touches on how the modern public relations industry has been influenced by walter lippmann's theory of 'spectator democracy, ' in which the public is seen as a 'bewildered herd' that needs to be directed, not empowered; and how the public relations industry in the united states focuses on 'controlling the public mind, ' and not on informing it.

In a series of interviews with noam chomsky, the distinguished mit scholar, lecturer, and linguist shares his thoughts on the development of modern biotechnology, economics, politics, and other significant topics. original. 25,000 first printing.

In a series of interviews with noam chomsky, the distinguished mit scholar, lecturer, and linguist shares his thoughts on the development of modern biotechnology, economics, politics, and other significant topics. original. 25,000 first printing.

This book illustrates the richness, depth and breadth of chomsky's writing about human nature, science, politics and the media. key contributions from leading experts on chomsky demonstrate the ways in which his ideas and analysis bring a sharp focus and startling insight to our understanding of the human world. they examine how chomsky's works relate to fundamental debates in the social sciences generally, and contemporary political thought and practice in particular. exploring his thinking as an activist, a scholar and someone with an unquenchable commitment to humanity and good science, it explains why it is time to sit up and take notice of how chomsky has so successfully tackled the imponderables, the uncertainties, and the complexities of human social existence for well over fifty years, within a radical challenge to elitist and illegitimate power.

Indigenous societies throughout latin america are facing difficult choices. after centuries of colonization, the ongoing struggle to preserve communal knowledge, rituals, language, traditions, teaching and learning practices has taken on even more significance in the increasingly standardized world of globalization. for many indigenous societies, protecting community-based customs has involved the rejection of state-provided education, raising a series of interconnected issues regarding autonomy, modernity and cultural sustainability. in new world of indigenous resistance, these questions are approached from multiple perspectives by means of an innovative exchange between linguist and human rights advocate noam chomsky, and more than twenty scholars, activists and educators from across the americas. two interviews with chomsky open the exchange with lessons from world history, linguistics, economics and anti-authoritarian philosophy, parallel histories of peoples worldwide who have resisted state power while attempting to sustain or even revitalize community traditions. in response to chomsky's ideas, voices from argentina, bolivia, ecuador, guatemala, mexico, panama, peru, the united states and uruguay dray from their first-hand experience and scholarship, speaking to, with, and at times against chomsky's views. in a final interview chomsky reflects upon the commentaries; the result is a nuanced intellectual and political exchange–a compelling conversation that offers a contemporary vision of indigenous resistance, survival and hope. "two direct interviews with chomsky enhance this articulate examination of challenges facing indigenous peoples today, including a positive viewpoint of means by which indigenous cultures can resist total assimilation, endure and spread hope. highly recommended."–midwest book review "the key issue facing indigenous peoples as they gain new rights and raise their profile within latin america's newly democratic states is how to reconcile the cultural inheritance that makes them indigenous with forces that aim to tether them to national identities or unleash upon them the corrosive acculturation implied by globalization. . . . this collection of commentaries – framed by the wisdom of noam chomsky–offers an excellent point of departure for the student interested in addressing such questions. with a significant focus on education, the writers address the thorny yet timeless issue of how to reconcile the ancient with the modern. . . . if there is one theme that emerges, it is of the potential for inter-communal co-operation and the concrete benefits diversity can bring to latin american social life."–gavin o'toole, latin american review of books "this book is unique, thought-provoking and inspiring. the voices included in this edited collection, most of them unheard in mainstream western academia, not only denounce the crimes committed against indigenous peoples, but also reflect decades of indigenous struggle, resistance, hope and commitment. . . . this book speaks to students, teachers, administrators and researchers from different disciplines and invites them to work together and follow the exemplary struggles of indigenous peoples in different parts of america."–teachers college record

In this extraordinarily original and profound work, noam chomsky discusses themes in the study of language and mind since the end of the sixteenth century in order to explain the motivations and methods that underlie his work in linguistics, the science of mind, and even politics. this edition includes a new and specially written introduction by james mcgilvray, contextualising the work for the twenty-first century. it has been made more accessible to a larger audience; all the french and german in the original edition has been translated, and the notes and bibliography have been brought up to date. the relationship between the original edition (published in 1966) and contemporary biolinguistic work is also explained. this challenging volume is an important contribution to the study of language and mind, and to the history of these studies since the end of the sixteenth century.

In this collection of essays from 1969 to 2013, many in book form for the first time, noam chomsky examines the nature of state power, from the ideologies driving the cold war to the war on terror, and reintroduces the moral and legal questions that all too often go unheeded. with unrelenting logic, he holds the arguments of empire up to critical examination and shatters the myths of those who protect the power and privilege of the few against the interests and needs of the many. an introduction by marcus raskin contextualizes chomsky's place among some of the most influential thinkers of modern history.

Those who regard him as a "doom and gloom" critic will find an unexpected chomsky in these pages. here the world-renowned author speaks for the first time in depth about his career in activism, and his views and tactics. chomsky offers new and intimate details about his life-long experience as an activist, revealing him as a critic with deep convictions and many surprising insights about movement strategies. the book points to new directions for activists today, including how the crises of the coronavirus and the economic meltdown are exploding in the critical 2020 us presidential election year. readers will find hope and new pathways toward a sustainable, democratic world.