The Precipice

by Noam Chomsky

Brand New Deliver In 6-18 Working Days

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

1000 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

Avram Noam Chomsky is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He is a laureate professor of linguistics at the University of Arizona and an institute professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Among the most cited living authors, Chomsky has written more than 150 books on topics such as linguistics, war, and politics. In addition to his work in linguistics, since the 1960s Chomsky has been an influential voice on the American left as a consistent critic of U.S. foreign policy, contemporary capitalism, and corporate influence on political institutions and the media.
Born to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants (his father was William Chomsky) in Philadelphia, Chomsky developed an early interest in anarchism from alternative bookstores in New York City. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania. During his postgraduate work in the Harvard Society of Fellows, Chomsky developed the theory of transformational grammar for which he earned his doctorate in 1955. That year he began teaching at MIT, and in 1957 emerged as a significant figure in linguistics with his landmark work Syntactic Structures, which played a major role in remodeling the study of language. From 1958 to 1959 Chomsky was a National Science Foundation fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study. He created or co-created the universal grammar theory, the generative grammar theory, the Chomsky hierarchy, and the minimalist program. Chomsky also played a pivotal role in the decline of linguistic behaviorism, and was particularly critical of the work of B.F. Skinner.
An outspoken opponent of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, which he saw as an act of American imperialism, in 1967 Chomsky rose to national attention for his anti-war essay "The Responsibility of Intellectuals". Becoming associated with the New Left, he was arrested multiple times for his activism and placed on President Richard M. Nixon's list of political opponents. While expanding his work in linguistics over subsequent decades, he also became involved in the linguistics wars. In collaboration with Edward S. Herman, Chomsky later articulated the propaganda model of media criticism in Manufacturing Consent, and worked to expose the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. His defense of unconditional freedom of speech, including that of Holocaust denial, generated significant controversy in the Faurisson affair of the 1980s. Chomsky's commentary on the Cambodian genocide and the Bosnian genocide also generated controversy. Since retiring from active teaching at MIT, he has continued his vocal political activism, including opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq and supporting the Occupy movement. An anti-Zionist, Chomsky considers Israel's treatment of Palestinians to be worse than South African–style apartheid, and criticizes U.S. support for Israel.
Chomsky is widely recognized as having helped to spark the cognitive revolution in the human sciences, contributing to the development of a new cognitivistic framework for the study of language and the mind. Chomsky remains a leading critic of U.S. foreign policy, contemporary capitalism, U.S. involvement and Israel's role in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and mass media. Chomsky and his ideas are highly influential in the anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist movements. Since 2017, he has been Agnese Helms Haury Chair in the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona.

Reviews

[Adam Lantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in an interview format with visiting scholars—including one of my favorite economists, Ha-Joon Chang—the book offers valuable insights but falls short of five stars for me. At times it felt repetitive and overly focused on the United States. That said, I understand Chomsky’s decision to center his analysis on the U.S. and the political spectacle surrounding Trump. The effect is that you do not finish the book feeling hopeful about the future.
Rather, it seems as though Chomsky is deliberately preparing us for the worst, urging us not to lose ourselves in despair but to brace for what lies ahead. My own reading is that he emphasizes how fragile and limited the recovery in the Global North truly is, and that the only real path forward is for ordinary people across the world to unite—because the states and corporations that currently dominate the global order are far too corrupt to lead us out of crisis.
While that interpretation partly reflects my own perspective, the book itself paints a starkly realistic picture of our present moment and the trajectory we face. By weaving together modern history with the atrocities of the past, present, and future, it becomes not only a critical analysis but also a powerful showcase of the existential risks confronting humanity and the uncertain future we must collectively navigate.

A big personal danger for me with the rise of a stronger NATO, 5% of coming GDP spending, will the west implode or explode? For the sake of the global majority I hope we implode like USSR and its leader Mikhail Gorbachev ensured that he didn’t allow it to explode, thankful are the western west for that.

[Quentin Reusens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to start a Chomsky book, but in the end I was dissapointed. In fact, they are all interviews, where Chomsky is saying the same things many times and sounds quite incoherent sometimes. I would advise you to read another book of the author. However, what was clear, was that he knew a lot about politics and history!

[Daniel Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Noam that was terrifying

[Carmine Spagnoletti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noam Chomsky’s The Precipice reaffirms his status as one of the most profound thinkers of our time. His ability to contextualise modern issues through a historical lens is phenomenal, offering insights that are both educational and thought-provoking.

The structure of posing questions and then answering them made it an engaging and accessible read. Chomsky’s writing style isn’t dense at all, making this book a great starting point for newcomers to his work, while still offering plenty of value for long-time followers.

Though some sections felt slightly repetitive, the strength of his ideas and the breadth of knowledge he brings more than make up for it. This book is a valuable resource for anyone seeking clarity on the challenges we face today and the historical patterns that underpin them. Chomsky remains a vital asset to public discourse, and this book is another testament to his brilliance.