There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
One of the greatest dangers is secular religion - state worship.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Secular religion refers to an ideology that demands loyalty similar to traditional religions, and state worship signifies excessive devotion to the state.
Noam Chomsky critiques the concept of secular religion, pointing out that state worship can become a significant danger, as it can lead individuals to prioritize allegiance to the state above critical thinking or moral considerations. This can create an environment where blind loyalty overshadows personal conscience and ethical behavior, potentially resulting in authoritarianism and the suppression of individual freedoms.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the role of government in society, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of maintaining a critical perspective on state 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.
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I have a kind of magnetic attraction to situations of violence.
What good would politics be, if it didnβt give everyone the opportunity to make moral compromises.
The human qualities of the raw materials show through. Naivety, error, contradiction, even (as in the cursing Psalms) wickedness are not removed. The total result is not "the Word of God" in the sense that every passage in itself, gives impeccable science or history. It carries the Word of God.
I always wanted to write a book about a common food that becomes a commercial commodity and therefore becomes economically important and therefore becomes politically important and culturally important. That whole process is very interesting to me. And salt seemed to me the best example of that, partly because it's universal.