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.
Similar quotes
The same kinds of stereotypes and hunches that George Zimmerman used when deciding that, you know, Trayvon Martin seemed like a threat in his neighborhood, law enforcement officers employ all the time.
The vicarious responsibility for things we have not done, this taking upon ourselves the consequences for things we are entirely innocent of, is the price we pay for the fact that we live our lives not by ourselves but among our fellow men, and that the faculty of action, which, after all, is the political faculty par excellence, can be actualized only as one of the many and manifold forces of human community.
As the gospels present it to us, the mission of Jesus of Nazareth is about the way in which the community of God's people - historically, the Jewish people who had first received the law and the covenant - is being re-created in relation to Jesus himself.
Truth doesn't always heal a wounded soul.
The totality of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society forms a determinate system with a life of its own. It can be termed the collective or creative consciousness.
There are more important things than finding the murderer. And justice is a fine word, but it is sometimes difficult to say exactly what one means by it. In my opinion, the important thing is to clear the innocent. - Hercule Poirot