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The Science of Language: Interviews with James McGilvray
Noam Chomsky is one of the most influential thinkers of our time, yet his views are often misunderstood. In this previously unpublished series of interviews, Chomsky discusses his iconoclastic and important ideas concerning language, human nature and politics. In dialogue with James McGilvray, Professor of Philosophy at McGill University, Chomsky takes up a wide variety of topics – the nature of language, the philosophies of language and mind, morality and universality, science and common sense, and the evolution of language. McGilvray's extensive commentary helps make this incisive set of interviews accessible to a variety of readers. The volume is essential reading for those involved in the study of language and mind, as well as anyone with an interest in Chomsky's ideas.
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 24, 2012
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About the author
Noam Chomsky
981 books17.4k followersAvram 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 28, 2014
Love him, hate him, or fall somewhere in the middle, with Noam Chomsky you know what you're getting: clear, dispassionate analysis, unapologetic empiricism, and a humble spirit.
In the interviews included in "The Science of Language", James McGilvray draws out Chomsky on a host of topics including, but not limited to: pure science and its method, universal grammar, common sense, universality, critiquing (neo, too often social)Darwinistic 'pop biology', euphemistic vocabulary, modern myth-building, the unique human capacity to do math, the (rather extensive) limitations of selective adaptation, Galileo's thought experiments, the good and the bad of story-telling, and for me (a highlight) a simple explanation of his theory of "Merge", the sort of Big Bang in the development of the human faculty for language.
There is also almost nothing - believe it or not - about politics or Chomsky's views on western history. The man, despite his genius, or perhaps as evidence of it, is willing to admit when asked about the connection between his research in linguistics and his political views, "...it's principled, but it's weak...there's no deductive connection. You could take any view on either of these topics, and it wouldn't be inconsistent to hold them." That's humble. And it's as refreshing as it is rare among those of our species blessed with the biggest brain-pans.
For those who've read extensively in Chomsky (smiling the entire time or gritting your teeth) there is probably not much new here for you, except perhaps another extended example of his tremendous ability to take an incredibly complex idea and say it in a way so that a child in school (fine, a bright child) could get it. Researchers, academics, writers the world over can learn from Noam Chomsky. We all can.
If you aren't familiar with the vocabulary of linguistics, you'll have some challenges here, but McGilvray has included a decent glossary and an appendix with some further explanations of Chomsky's remarks, putting them in a more accessible, broader context than the interview format could provide.
As a little treat, I was hugely entertained by his chastising of Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker for some - in Chomsky's view - less-than-honest popular science writing they've engaged in. Fans of Pinker et al. might not be so thrilled. But don't take it too close to heart, that's just Noam being Noam.
Finally, a quote: "If you're teaching, say, physics, there's no point in persuading a student that you're right. You want to encourage them to find out what the truth is, which is probably that you're wrong."
His thoughtfulness enriches us all.
In the interviews included in "The Science of Language", James McGilvray draws out Chomsky on a host of topics including, but not limited to: pure science and its method, universal grammar, common sense, universality, critiquing (neo, too often social)Darwinistic 'pop biology', euphemistic vocabulary, modern myth-building, the unique human capacity to do math, the (rather extensive) limitations of selective adaptation, Galileo's thought experiments, the good and the bad of story-telling, and for me (a highlight) a simple explanation of his theory of "Merge", the sort of Big Bang in the development of the human faculty for language.
There is also almost nothing - believe it or not - about politics or Chomsky's views on western history. The man, despite his genius, or perhaps as evidence of it, is willing to admit when asked about the connection between his research in linguistics and his political views, "...it's principled, but it's weak...there's no deductive connection. You could take any view on either of these topics, and it wouldn't be inconsistent to hold them." That's humble. And it's as refreshing as it is rare among those of our species blessed with the biggest brain-pans.
For those who've read extensively in Chomsky (smiling the entire time or gritting your teeth) there is probably not much new here for you, except perhaps another extended example of his tremendous ability to take an incredibly complex idea and say it in a way so that a child in school (fine, a bright child) could get it. Researchers, academics, writers the world over can learn from Noam Chomsky. We all can.
If you aren't familiar with the vocabulary of linguistics, you'll have some challenges here, but McGilvray has included a decent glossary and an appendix with some further explanations of Chomsky's remarks, putting them in a more accessible, broader context than the interview format could provide.
As a little treat, I was hugely entertained by his chastising of Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker for some - in Chomsky's view - less-than-honest popular science writing they've engaged in. Fans of Pinker et al. might not be so thrilled. But don't take it too close to heart, that's just Noam being Noam.
Finally, a quote: "If you're teaching, say, physics, there's no point in persuading a student that you're right. You want to encourage them to find out what the truth is, which is probably that you're wrong."
His thoughtfulness enriches us all.
January 7, 2013
A very good book for me...supplements my humanistic background on language with cutting-edge work on language in the sciences. I will definitely be following up with more Chomsky and other linguists
on language.
on language.
February 6, 2014
Very interesting but difficult. Sometimes it feels like it is more aimed at debunking certain theories instead of discussing/promoting better ones.
April 23, 2015
Really interesting introduction and an overview of Chomsky's views. Became repetitive sometimes, though. Comprehensive analysis of Chomsky's views on concepts, against Fodor.
March 12, 2017
This book is advanced enough that it's probably not worth my time, but based on technical areas I _am_ versed in, I feel like someone appropriately primed will find a lot of this work clarifying. In a weird way I feel like I now have all these guiding and danger signs for a terrain where I don't even know the colour of the soil >.>
I'll come back to it when I know more about the basics, but right now I can't bridge the distance between myself and the book :'(
I'll come back to it when I know more about the basics, but right now I can't bridge the distance between myself and the book :'(
August 7, 2020
صعب جدًا لغير المتخصص.
April 14, 2016
This is quite a misleading book. It emphasises its accessibility to the non-specialist reader when, in reality, it's pretty heavy going and complex. I'm currently studying a Master's degree in an area of linguistics (with a BA in English language and linguistics), so I'm not a complete layman, but even I found it indecipherable in many parts. The description at the back, as well as the introduction, market this as some kind of good introductory book on Noam Chomsky's incredibly important contributions to the theory and philosophy of language, but I think that the general reader will get very little out of it. With some knowledge of linguistics, and the help of the not always useful commentaries at the back of the book, I was able to struggle through, understanding the major points, but getting completely lost with the more technical descriptions.
The main part of this book (not including the commentary and the many appendixes) has been split into two halves, “the science of language and mind” and “human nature and its study”. The first half is definitely only for the specialist reader, dealing with the technical side of Chomsky's theories on language. The second half, however, is far more accessible, presenting more of a philosophical inquiry into the nature of language, and humanity in general. I found this half absolutely fascinating, as I've always admired Chomsky the eminent linguist, and Chomsky the highly regarded political commentator, but I'd never before encountered Chomsky the revered philosopher. Chomsky sheds light on how his contentious theories on language underpin his entire moral framework, and how the philosophy of language is fundamental for our understanding of human nature, yet criminally undervalued in academic circles. Incredibly interesting, but heavy going.
The main part of this book (not including the commentary and the many appendixes) has been split into two halves, “the science of language and mind” and “human nature and its study”. The first half is definitely only for the specialist reader, dealing with the technical side of Chomsky's theories on language. The second half, however, is far more accessible, presenting more of a philosophical inquiry into the nature of language, and humanity in general. I found this half absolutely fascinating, as I've always admired Chomsky the eminent linguist, and Chomsky the highly regarded political commentator, but I'd never before encountered Chomsky the revered philosopher. Chomsky sheds light on how his contentious theories on language underpin his entire moral framework, and how the philosophy of language is fundamental for our understanding of human nature, yet criminally undervalued in academic circles. Incredibly interesting, but heavy going.
March 15, 2014
This is a wonderfully-thought-provoking book; its small page count belies a great deal of dense discussion about all matters linguistic. If you have ever considered linguistics to be too insular and humanistic rather than properly scientific, perhaps the reasons for that can be found within. There are certainly some instances of jargon that will not be understandable to the average reader, but overall, this is a very approachable book for a topic that has been turned difficult for countless years.
When I finish this book, I am left wondering, "What about the other forms of language? What about computer programs, meant to be executed logically but also meant to be re-read by humans and understood? What about dancing, which can at the same time be both transcendental and tell a story, as with hula or burlesque?" I would love to see discussion evolve further from where it went in this book. Do not expect to breeze through this one, especially if you stop to read through the considerable appendices.
I think that where Chomsky attempts to simplify everything into Merge operations, I would attempt to cast theory in terms of Merge, Split and Delay. Information would be mapped as waveform and therefore a Split -> Delay -> Merge subsystem could either amplify or reduce a Concept (Chomsky's notion of primitive, I forget the term that he chose to use for describing i.e. "tree" or "river") or create a new virtual concept, or more likely both at once.
When I finish this book, I am left wondering, "What about the other forms of language? What about computer programs, meant to be executed logically but also meant to be re-read by humans and understood? What about dancing, which can at the same time be both transcendental and tell a story, as with hula or burlesque?" I would love to see discussion evolve further from where it went in this book. Do not expect to breeze through this one, especially if you stop to read through the considerable appendices.
I think that where Chomsky attempts to simplify everything into Merge operations, I would attempt to cast theory in terms of Merge, Split and Delay. Information would be mapped as waveform and therefore a Split -> Delay -> Merge subsystem could either amplify or reduce a Concept (Chomsky's notion of primitive, I forget the term that he chose to use for describing i.e. "tree" or "river") or create a new virtual concept, or more likely both at once.
July 30, 2015
This is a weird book because it makes no effort to be understood. Most arguments between these two professors comes riddled with indirect references to other scientific works, sometimes referred to just by the name of the professor/thinker, which would only be familiar to those who have studied this field with some depth. But for what this is, a no-holds-barred personal conversation between intellectuals, it has a lot to offer. As Smerdyakov once said, "It's always interesting to talk with an intelligent man".
July 17, 2013
Interesting intro on Noam Chomsky, but so much of their discussion is inside baseball, with Chomsky and the interviewer talking about very specific topics where you need context.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews