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Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2015

Neil Smith
Affiliation:
University College London
Nicholas Allott
Affiliation:
Universitetet i Oslo
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Summary

Chomsky has created, and for fifty years has dominated, the field of modern linguistics. Working in this field, he has revealed the amazing complexity of human languages but at the same time has provided striking evidence that (from a suitably objective point of view) there is really only one language, and that it is largely innate. He has demolished the behaviorist framework that guided research in psychology, he has restored the mind to its previous position of Cartesian eminence, and he has challenged traditional philosophical thinking on what constitutes human knowledge. In passing, he provided new impetus to mathematical linguistics, and stimulated debate in fields as disparate as education and anthropology, stylistics and immunology. And he has done this while devoting the majority of his time to political activism, engaging in a relentless struggle against the lies of government and the evils of concentrated power. To do this he talks and writes to every conceivable audience – from the House of Representatives to rap-metal bands, from academics in Western universities to prosecuting magistrates in Turkey.

Chomsky doesn't believe in heroes, but it is not surprising that for many he has become one. And there can be little disagreement that he has fulfilled his expressed hope that “I've done something decent with my life.”

Type
Chapter
Information
Chomsky
Ideas and Ideals
, pp. 335
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

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  • Envoi
  • Neil Smith, University College London, Nicholas Allott, Universitetet i Oslo
  • Book: Chomsky
  • Online publication: 18 December 2015
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139979634.011
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  • Envoi
  • Neil Smith, University College London, Nicholas Allott, Universitetet i Oslo
  • Book: Chomsky
  • Online publication: 18 December 2015
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139979634.011
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Envoi
  • Neil Smith, University College London, Nicholas Allott, Universitetet i Oslo
  • Book: Chomsky
  • Online publication: 18 December 2015
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139979634.011
Available formats
×