There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
Free speech has been used by the Supreme Court to give immense power to the wealthiest members of our society.
Interpretation
The quote critiques how free speech is often exploited by the wealthy to amplify their influence and control.
Noam Chomsky's quote highlights the paradox of free speech in the context of power dynamics, suggesting that while free speech is a fundamental right, it disproportionately benefits those with significant financial resources, allowing them to dominate public discourse and shape societal norms in their favor. This raises critical questions about equality and the true function of free speech in a democratic society.
In practice
In a debate about campaign finance reform, this quote can highlight how free speech influences political power.
There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
The '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.
I am an unwilling devil. I cry like some vagrant child. I want to go home.
Obscenity is a moral concept in the verbal arsenal of the establishment, which abuses the term by applying it, not to expressions of its own morality but to those of another.
Property is not the sacred right. When a rich man becomes poor it is a misfortune, it is not a moral evil. When a poor man becomes destitute, it is a moral evil, teeming with consequences and injurious to society and morality.
I am willing to admit that some people might live there for years, or even a lifetime, so protected that they never sense the sweet stench of corruption that is all around them - the keen, thin scent of decay that pervades everything and accuses with a terrible accusation the superficial youthfulness, the abounding undergraduate noise, that fills those ancient buildings.
Is not the beautiful moon, that inspires poets, the same moon which angers the silence of the sea with a terrible roar?
The great thing about this game is that the bad days are wonderful.
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