There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
Language is a weapon of politicians, but language is a weapon in much of human affairs.
Interpretation
Language is a powerful tool that can be used to manipulate and influence people in various situations.
In this quote, Noam Chomsky emphasizes the dual nature of language as both a means of political persuasion and a universal tool in human interactions. He suggests that language possesses the ability to shape opinions, emotions, and social dynamics, thereby playing a critical role in various fields beyond politics, highlighting its significance in communication and human affairs.
In practice
In a debate about political rhetoric, one might say, 'As Noam Chomsky puts it, language is a weapon of politicians.'
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.
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact.
Enlightenment is not something you achieve. It is the absence of something. All your life you have been going forward after something, pursuing some goal. Enlightenment is dropping all that.
The idea of a cure for autism is itself controversial. Some people with autism say they don't want to be cured, because autism gives them a different way of looking at the world.
I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be. I know it's crazy.
The great paradox of the 21st century is that, in this age of powerful technology, the biggest problems we face internationally are problems of the human soul.
Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.
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