Orwell’s question, according to
an admirer of leftist Noam Chomsky:
“When so much of the BS is right out in the open,
why is it that we know so little about it?
Why don’t we see what’s right in front of our eyes?”
 Oscar |
Lying, Truth-Telling, and the Social Order |
 Michael Moore |
“First of all, I’d like to thank the Academy….”
— Quotation attributed to Plato
The New Yorker of March 31, 2003, discusses leftist academic Noam Chomsky. The online edition provides a web page listing pro-Chomsky links.
Chomsky’s influence is based in part on the popularity of his half-baked theories on linguistics, starting in the 1950’s with “deep structure” and “transformational,” or “generative,” grammar.
Chomsky has abandoned many of his previous ideas and currently touts what he calls The Minimalist Program.
For some background on Chomsky’s recent linguistic notions, see the expository essay “Syntactic Theory,” by Elly van Gelderen of the Arizona State University English Department. Van Gelderen lists her leftist political agenda on her “Other Interests” page. Her department may serve as an example of how leftists have converted many English departments in American universities to propaganda factories.
Some attacks on Chomsky’s scholarship:
Forty-four Reasons Why the Chomskians Are Mistaken
Chomsky’s (Mis)Understanding of Human Thinking
Anatomy of a Revolution… Chomsky in 1962
…Linguistic Theory: The Rationality of Noam Chomsky
Some attacks on Chomsky’s propaganda:
Destructive Generation excerpt
Partners in Hate: Noam Chomsky and the Holocaust Deniers
Chomsky and Plato’s Diamond
Like another purveyor of leftist nonsense, Jacques Derrida, Chomsky is fond of citing Plato as a precedent. In particular, what Chomsky calls “Plato’s problem” is discussed in Plato’s Meno. For a look at the diamond figure that plays a central role in that dialogue, see Diamond Theory. For an excellent overview of related material in Plato, see Theory of Forms.
The original conception of generative
grammar has been developed in other directions by non-Chomskyan linguists
who seldom use the term any more, because it has been appropriated by the
Chomskyans for their own work — which is no longer strictly generative at
all.
_______________
Heh. This particular sentence made me laugh.
Comment by oOMisfitOo — Wednesday, March 26, 2003 @ 2:14 am
I love people like Michael Moore, it makes me proud to be an American! I don’t subscribe to all of his rants but I am just happy he can say what he wants without fear of retribution from the government… Just from other Americans, et al who disagree.
Thank you for the links!
Comment by NickyJett — Thursday, March 27, 2003 @ 11:07 am