Talk:Noam Chomsky

See also: Talk:Chomsky and alleged anti-semitism, talk:Noam Chomsky archive 1, talk:Noam Chomsky archive 2[?]

I just want to say that, after all the charge and counter-charge I've just finished reading above, that this is a great article. I knew little of Chomsky before reading it: just the inevitabe stuff that I guess any psychology major picks up along the way, plus a vague awareness that he is a prominent advocate of some unpopular leftish causes. Having read the article, I know more than I did before - which is the whole point of this place after all - and am not left with any nagging suspicion that the substantial stuff (his influence in linguistics and psychology)is unreliable. OK, the anti-semite question stuff goes on at too great a length and shows the scars of too many edit wars, but not greatly so. It's a damn good article, and a credit to its many authors. Tannin

Yea, it is good :) I still think the accusations of anti-semitism is irrelavent and should be deleted, severely croped, or at least moved to a seperate page. I don't want to just go and do this right off, for fear of screams of "anti-semite" in a Big Lebowski fashion... What do people think of the idea? AW

I think it might be wise to move very slowly and carefully on that; bat it around here in talk for a while and rough out a trimmed-down version, but yes, I agree. I don't think it would be right to delete it - the accusations seem to me nonsensical, but they have been made, and should be reported. Nor do I think there is any need to editorialise (as I just did, but only here in talk). As I see it, the facts can speak for themselves. Comments anyone? Tannin 12:15 Jan 22, 2003 (UTC)

I think it should definitely stay. It's interesting stuff, to me, anyway. I've brought the affected text (including the Middle East stuff) here to talk and began editing it, slicing away stuff that I thought was unnecessary or excessive. But we do have plenty of links for further reading, so I guess it's okay. DanKeshet

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Chomsky and the Middle East

Chomsky "grew up...in the Jewish-Zionist cultural tradition" (Peck, p. 11). His father was one of the foremost scholars of the Hebrew language and taught at a religious school. Chomsky has also had a long fascination with and involvement in left-wing Zionist politics. As he described:

"I was deeply interested in...Zionist affairs and activities -- or what was then called 'Zionist,' though the same ideas and concerns are now called 'anti-Zionist.' I was interested in socialist, binationalist options for Palestine...The vague ideas I had at the time [1947] were to go to Palestine, perhaps to a kibbutz, to try to become involved in efforts at Arab-Jewish cooperation within a socialist framework, opposed to the deeply antidemocratic concept of a jewish state (a position that was considered well within the mainstream of Zionism)." (Peck, p. 7)

He is extremely critical of the policies of Israel towards the Palestinians and ethnic minority Jewish populations within Israel. Among many articles and books, his book The Fateful Triangle[?] is considered one of the premier texts among those who oppose Israeli treatment of Palestinians and American support for Israel. He has also condemned Israel's role in "guiding state terrorism" for selling weapons to Latin American countries that he characterizes as U.S. puppet states, e.g. Guatemala in the 1970s. (What Uncle Sam Really Wants, Chapter 2.4) In addition, he has repeatedly and vehemently condemned the United States for its military and diplomatic support for Israel, and sectors of the American Jewish community (e.g. Anti-Defamation League) for their role in obtaining this support.

Accusations of anti-semitism

Partially because of these criticisms, Chomsky has been accused of being anti-semitic many times. The most outspoken of his critics include journalist David Horowitz, who has toured college campuses distributing anti-Chomsky pamphlets, attorney/professor Alan Dershowitz, with whom Chomsky has engaged in many verbal battles through the media, and sociology professor emeritus Werner Cohn, who has written an entire book on the subject, Partners in Hate. One of the most common charges is that while in theory there may be a difference between the concept of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, in practice anti-Zionism is a manifestation of anti-Semitism. Under this theory, Chomsky's opposition to a Jewish state (or all anarchists' opposition) is thus indicative of anti-Semitism. Chomsky, a Jew, rejects charges of anti-Semitism and claims that he has always spoken out against bigotry, including anti-Semitism.

The Faurisson Affair

In 1979, Robert Faurisson[?], a French professor, wrote a book claiming that the Nazis did not have gas chambers[?], did not attempt a genocide of Jews (or any other groups), and that the "myth" of the gas chambers had been put forth by Zionist swindlers for the benefit of the state of Israel and to the detriment of Germans and Palestinians. (Hitchens, 1985)

Shortly after, Chomsky signed a petition condemning censorship of Faurisson's works in France. The petition claimed that Faurisson's works were based on "extensive independent historical research." (On Faurisson and Chomsky) Following a controversy regarding this petition, Chomsky wrote an essay entitled Some Elementary Comments on The Rights of Freedom of Expression, which dealt mainly with the freedom to conduct and publish unpopular research, but also stated that he had not found evidence of anti-Semitism in the parts of Faurisson's work that he had reviewed. Chomsky granted permission for this essay to be used for any purpose; it was used as the preface for a book by Faurisson.

Chomsky's writings sparked a great furore. Many people held that Faurisson's statements were the archetype of anti-Semitism, and that the logical conclusion of Chomsky's statement would be that Naziism was not anti-semitic. For example, Deborah Lipstadt wrote in Dimensions, the journal of the ADL:

"Chomsky's example shows why the dangers of free inquiry should be taken seriously. Even the supposed protectors of reasoned dialogue can fall for the convoluted notion that all arguments are equally legitimate. Those who argue that the deniers must be given a fair hearing fail to recognize that the deniers' quest is not a search for truth. Rather they are motivated by racism, extremism, and virulent anti-Semitism."

Chomsky later wrote (His Right to Say It): "Faurisson's conclusions are diametrically opposed to views I hold and have frequently expressed in print (for example, in my book Peace in the Middle East?, where I describe the holocaust as "the most fantastic outburst of collective insanity in human history"). But it is elementary that freedom of expression (including academic freedom) is not to be restricted to views of which one approves, and that it is precisely in the case of views that are almost universally despised and condemned that this right must be most vigorously defended."

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Can someone please explain to me the logic of the piece in brackets (On Faurisson and Chomsky) from the quoted paragraph from the article (which is the second paragraph under the heading

"Shortly after, Chomsky signed a petition condemning censorship of Faurisson's works in France. The petition claimed that Faurisson's works were based on "extensive independent historical research." (On Faurisson and Chomsky) Following a controversy regarding this petition, Chomsky wrote an essay entitled Some Elementary Comments on The Rights of Freedom of Expression, which dealt mainly with the freedom to conduct and publish unpopular research, but also stated that he had not found evidence of anti-Semitism in the parts of Faurisson's work that he had reviewed."

Does it mean that Faurisson's work is based on historical research by Faurisson and Chomsky? It would be kind of unlogical to call it "extensive independent" then. Thanks, snoyes 00:53 Apr 1, 2003 (UTC)

That was my poor attempt at attribution. Fix as possible. If anybody gets a proper footnote and bibliography method going here, I will be quite happy. DanKeshet 17:32 Apr 1, 2003 (UTC)