On Anarchism

128 pages

English language

Published May 17, 2013 by New Press, The.

ISBN:
978-1-59558-910-1
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OCLC Number:
854512578

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(2 reviews)

Radical linguist, philosopher and activist Noam Chomsky is one of the world's foremost intellectuals. Known for his brilliant evisceration of American foreign policy, state capitalism, and the mainstream media, he remains a formidable and unapologetic critic of established authority. On Anarchism sheds a much-needed light on the foundations of Chomsky's thought, specifically his constant questioning of the legitimacy of entrenched power. The book gathers his essays and interviews to provide a short, accessible introduction to his distinctively optimistic brand of anarchism. Chomsky eloquently refutes the notion of anarchism as a fixed idea, suggesting that it is part of a living, evolving tradition, and he disputes the traditional fault lines between anarchism and socialism, emphasizing the power of collective, rather than individualist, action. Including a revealing new interview with Chomsky by well-known writer and blogger Nathan Schneider that assesses Chomsky's writings on anarchism to date, this is a book that is …

3 editions

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A big, red "A" dragged me to the book—Chomsky guided me to the counter.

His scientifical, social, linguistic approach led him to a profound analysis of the past and present society. His ideas are deeply true and sometimes hard to accept, because of how much we are accustomed to reality as it is...

The book is a collection of texts and interviews by Chomsky and gives a general idea of his thought: I found it hard to grasp the chapter on the Spanish revolution before the Franco regime, yet it was intriguing and I hope to reread it in the future. The last chapter was instead marvelous in my opinion, as I truly believe in studying language and its science as a manner of understanding human behaviour.

"It seems to me fair to regard the contemporary study of language as in some ways a return to the Humboldtian concept of …

Subjects

  • Anarchism