There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
If by 'intellectual' you mean people who are a special class who are in the business of imposing thoughts and forming ideas for people in power, and telling people what they should believe...they're really more a kind of secular priesthood, whose task it is to uphold the doctrinal truths of the society. And the population SHOULD be anti-intellectual in that repect.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Chomsky criticizes intellectuals who serve the powerful by shaping public thought, suggesting that the public should resist such influences.
In this quote, Noam Chomsky highlights the role of certain intellectuals who act as gatekeepers of knowledge, promoting ideologies favorable to those in power while restricting critical thought. He argues that this dynamic creates a form of intellectual priesthood, where the masses are encouraged to question and oppose these imposed beliefs to foster genuine understanding and freedom of thought.
Themes
IntellectualPowerBeliefSocietyThought
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about media influence, one could reference this quote to argue the importance of critical thinking.
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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.
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