Chomsky on Anarchism

Description

We all know what Noam Chomsky is against. His scathing analysis of everything that’s wrong with our society reaches more and more people every day. His brilliant critiques of—among other things—capitalism, imperialism, domestic repression and government propaganda have become mini-publishing industries unto themselves. But, in this flood of publishing and republishing, very little ever gets said about what exactly Chomsky stands for, his own personal politics, his vision of the future.Not, that is, until Chomsky on Anarchism, a groundbreaking new book that shows a different side of this best-selling author: the anarchist principles that have guided him since he was a teenager. This collection of Chomsky’s essays and inter-views includes numerous pieces that have never been published before, as well as rare material that first saw the light of day in hard-to-find pamphlets and anarchist periodicals. Taken together, they paint a fresh picture of Chomsky, showing his lifelong involvement with the anarchist community, his constant commitment to nonhierarchical models of political organization and his hopes for a future world without rulers.For anyone who’s been touched by Chomsky’s trenchant analysis of our current situation, as well as anyone looking for an intelligent and coherent discussion of anarchism itself, look no further than Chomsky on Anarchism.Noam Chomsky is one of the world’s leading intellectuals, the father of modern linguistics, an outspoken media and foreign policy critic and tireless activist. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Contents......Page 4 Preface......Page 6 Introduction by Barry Pateman......Page 8 1. Objectivity and Liberal Scholarship (1969)......Page 12 Notes......Page 77 2. Language and Freedom (1970)......Page 102 Notes......Page 117 3. Notes on Anarchism (1970)......Page 119 Notes......Page 131 4. The Relevance of Anarcho-Syndicalism (1976)......Page 134 5. Preface to Antologija Anarhizma (1986)......Page 150 6. Containing the Threat of Democracy (1990)......Page 154 Discussion Section. Opening Comments: Common Sense and Freedom......Page 173 Notes......Page 177 Anarchism: Placing the Burden of Proof on Authority......Page 179 Grassroots Democracy versus Parliamentary Democracy......Page 182 The Spanish Revolution versus the Bolshevik Coup......Page 183 The "New Class": Totalitarian to Neoliberal......Page 184 The Early Marx as a Figure of the Late Enlightenment......Page 185 Moral Agents with Some Conception of Human Nature......Page 186 From Two Superpowers to One: Reasons to Be Concerned......Page 187 Ominous Portent-and Signs of Great Hope......Page 189 Goals versus Visions......Page 191 The "Humanistic Conception"......Page 195 "The New Spirit of the Age"......Page 197 Voices of Resistance......Page 203 "Tough Love"......Page 207 Notes......Page 210 Anarchism and the State......Page 213 Specialization and the Intellectual Division of Labor......Page 217 Conscience and Vanguard......Page 218 10. Interview with Barry Pateman (2004)......Page 222 11. Interview with Ziga Vodovnik (2004)......Page 235