Noam Chomsky – MIT: American professor, public intellectual, and founder of modern linguistics.
Birth Date and Place: December 7, 1928, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Fields of Expertise: Linguistics, analytic philosophy, cognitive science, political criticism
Notable Contributions: Universal grammar theory, generative grammar theory, Chomsky hierarchy, minimalist program
Early Life and Education
Avram Noam Chomsky was born on December 7, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. His father, William Chomsky, was a respected Hebrew scholar. Chomsky showed a keen intellect from a young age – at 10 years old, he wrote his first article on the spread of fascism following the fall of Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War.
Chomsky attended an experimental elementary school that emphasized self-directed learning. This experience would shape his later views on education and creativity. As a teenager, he was drawn to anarchist and socialist literature, frequently visiting left-wing bookstores in New York City.
In 1945, at age 16, Chomsky began undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where he took classes in linguistics, mathematics, and philosophy. He developed a close relationship with Russian-born linguist Zellig Harris, who would become his mentor and guide him toward the study of language.
Chomsky received his BA in 1949 and his MA in 1951, both from Penn. He then spent four years as a Junior Fellow at Harvard University, where he completed his doctoral dissertation on transformational grammar. In 1955, at age 26, Chomsky was awarded his PhD in linguistics from Penn.
Pioneering a Revolution in Linguistics
In 1957, Chomsky published his groundbreaking book “Syntactic Structures,” which laid the foundation for his transformational grammar theory. The theory proposed that innate mental structures allow children to quickly learn the grammar of their native languages, challenging the prevailing behaviorist view that language is simply a learned behavior.
Chomsky argued that all human languages share the same underlying structures, and that the differences between languages were relatively superficial. His ideas about a “universal grammar” revolutionized the field of linguistics and had a profound influence on psychology, philosophy, and cognitive science.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Chomsky continued to refine his linguistic theories and publish influential works, including “Aspects of the Theory of Syntax” (1965), “Cartesian Linguistics” (1966), and “Language and Mind” (1968). His ideas became the dominant paradigm in linguistics, known as the “Chomskyan revolution.”
In 1961, Chomsky was appointed full professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He would remain at MIT for the rest of his career, retiring as Institute Professor Emeritus in 2002.
Contributions to Psychology and Cognitive Science
Chomsky’s work in linguistics had significant implications for the understanding of the human mind and cognition. His theory of an innate universal grammar suggested that the brain is “hardwired” with structures specifically dedicated to language acquisition. This challenged the behaviorist assumption of the mind as a “blank slate” shaped entirely by experience.
In his 1959 review of B.F. Skinner’s “Verbal Behavior,” Chomsky delivered a devastating critique of behaviorism, helping to shift psychology toward a cognitive approach focused on mental states and information processing. His ideas were foundational to the emerging field of cognitive science in the 1960s and 1970s.
Chomsky proposed that the language faculty is a distinct cognitive module, separate from general intelligence. He argued that language is not merely a cultural invention, but a unique evolutionary adaptation of the human species. These ideas inspired new avenues of research on the biological basis of language and its role in human cognition.
Philosopher and Political Dissident
In addition to his scientific work, Chomsky emerged as a prominent political dissident and public intellectual in the 1960s. A self-described libertarian socialist, he was an early and outspoken critic of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. His 1967 essay “The Responsibility of Intellectuals” attacked the complicity of academics in supporting government policies.
Over the following decades, Chomsky wrote numerous books and articles analyzing the media, foreign policy, and political economy from a leftist perspective. He has been a tireless critic of American imperialism, neoliberalism, and the concentration of corporate power, and a leading voice in the global justice movement.
Some of Chomsky’s influential political works include “Manufacturing Consent” (with Edward S. Herman, 1988), “Deterring Democracy” (1991), “Profit Over People” (1998), “Hegemony or Survival” (2003), and “Failed States” (2006). He has also been a frequent public speaker, giving talks and interviews around the world.
While Chomsky’s political views have made him a controversial figure, his stature as one of the most important intellectuals of the 20th century is widely recognized. According to the Arts and Humanities Citation Index, he was the most cited living scholar from 1980 to 1992.
Later Life and Legacy
Now in his nineties, Chomsky remains active as a writer, speaker, and intellectual gadfly. Recent books include “Requiem for the American Dream” (2017), “Optimism Over Despair” (2017), and “Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal” (with Robert Pollin and C.J. Polychroniou, 2020).
Chomsky’s ideas have had an enormous impact across a range of fields, from linguistics and psychology to philosophy, political science, and international relations. He has been a powerful voice of dissent, challenging orthodoxies and inspiring generations of activists and critical thinkers.
In the field of linguistics, Chomsky’s theories continue to be debated and developed by researchers around the world. While some of his specific ideas have been challenged or modified over the years, his overarching vision of language as a window into the structure of the mind remains hugely influential.
Chomsky has received numerous awards and accolades throughout his career, including the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, the Helmholtz Medal, the Ben Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science, and the Sydney Peace Prize. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.
In 2017, at the age of 88, Chomsky began a part-time teaching position at the University of Arizona, where he is currently Laureate Professor of Linguistics. He continues to be a leading public intellectual, offering his perspectives on language, mind, politics, and the future of humanity.
Avram Noam Chomsky’s legacy as a towering figure in 20th century thought seems secure. His groundbreaking work in linguistics and cognitive science, his unflinching political dissent, and his commitment to intellectual inquiry and social justice have left an indelible mark on the world. As he enters his tenth decade, Chomsky remains a vital and provocative thinker, still grappling with the deep questions of language, mind, and human nature that have animated his extraordinary life and career.
What are some of Noam Chomsky’s most famous books?
Here are some of Noam Chomsky’s most famous and influential books:
- Syntactic Structures (1957)
This groundbreaking book introduced Chomsky’s theory of transformational generative grammar and revolutionized the field of linguistics. It argued that the ability to understand grammar is hard-wired into the human brain rather than learned from experience. - Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (1988)
Co-written with Edward S. Herman, this book describes the “propaganda model” and how the mass media in the United States shapes public opinion and manufactures consent for the policies of the government and corporations. - Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance (2003)
In this bestseller, Chomsky examines and critiques the foreign policy doctrine of the U.S. government, arguing that it seeks to establish an imperial grand strategy of global military and economic dominance. - Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy (2006)
Chomsky analyzes the policies and actions of the United States in terms of its own official definitions of “failed states”, arguing that the U.S. itself qualifies as a failed state. - Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky (2002)
This edited collection of Chomsky’s talks and writings provides an accessible introduction to his views on linguistics, politics, media control, and U.S. foreign policy. - On Anarchism (2005)
This short book outlines Chomsky’s anarchist beliefs and perspectives on topics like the legitimacy of the state, capitalism, and revolutionary socialism.
Other highly influential and famous works include:
- Language and Mind (1968)
- American Power and the New Mandarins (1969)
- Deterring Democracy (1991)
- Profit Over People (1998)
- 9/11 (2001)
Chomsky’s early works like Syntactic Structures revolutionized linguistics, while his later political books like Manufacturing Consent, Hegemony or Survival, and Failed States established him as a leading public intellectual and critic of U.S. imperialism and foreign policy. His books blend linguistics, philosophy, history and radical left-wing politics.