There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
In America, the professor talks to the mechanic. They are in the same category.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of dialogue across different fields of expertise and the equal value of knowledge.
Noam Chomsky's quote highlights the significance of interdisciplinary communication and mutual respect between different professions. By indicating that a professor and a mechanic belong to the same category, Chomsky suggests that all forms of knowledge, whether academic or practical, hold equal value in society, thus encouraging the sharing of ideas and experiences among individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a panel discussion on the value of different professions, this quote can be used to illustrate the importance of diverse perspectives.
More from Noam Chomsky
All quotes βThe 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.
If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
There are very few people who are going to look into the mirror and say, 'That person I see is a savage monster;' instead, they make up some construction that justifies what they do.
The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.
Similar quotes
Literature, not scripture, sustains the mind and - since there is no other metaphor - also the soul.
A teacher's major contribution may pop out anonymously in the life of some ex-student's grandchild. A teacher, finally, has nothing to go on but faith, a student nothing to offer in return but testimony.
Telling purposeful stories is interactive. It's not a monolog. Ultimately, purposeful tellers must surrender control of their stories, creating a gap for the listener(s) to willingly cross in order to take ownership. Only when the listener(s) own the tellers' story and make it theirs, will they virally market it.
The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done.
A capacity, and taste, for reading, gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved problems. And not only so. It gives a relish, and facility, for successfully pursuing the [yet] unsolved ones.
I dream for a world which is free of child labour, a world in which every child goes to school. A world in which every child gets his rights.