There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Chomsky critiques the flaws of government systems compared to the unregulated power of corporations.
In this quote, Noam Chomsky highlights the inherent flaws within democratic governments, suggesting that they have the potential for representation and accountability, yet often fail to fulfill these ideals. In contrast, he argues that corporations operate without such democratic accountability, functioning purely as tyrannies that prioritize profit over the welfare of individuals or society, emphasizing the need for critical examination of both systems.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on corporate ethics, one might quote Chomsky to underscore the dangers of unchecked corporate power.
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
What we have ignored is what citizens can do and the importance of real involvement of the people involved - versus just having somebody in Washington make a rule.
I am never going to have anything more to do with politics or politicians. When this war is over I shall confine myself entirely to writing and painting.
What stuns me most about contemporary politics is not even that the system has been so badly corrupted by money. It is that so few people get the connection between their lives and what the bozos do in Washington and our state capitols.
My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress.
Commerce has changed the ethics of citizenship and the incentives for national service. America now buys private contractors - we used to call them mercenaries - to do the country's fighting.
The Iraq war that I signed up for was launched on false premises. The American people were misled. Now, whether that was due to bad faith or simply mistakes in intelligence, I can't say for sure. But I can say it shows the problem of putting too much faith in intelligence systems without debating them in public.