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 you have to control people, you have to have an administrative force that does it. So in U.S. industry, even more than elsewhere, there's layer after layer of management - a kind of economic waste, but useful for control and domination. And the same is true in universities.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights how controlling people requires an extensive management system, which can be seen as a wasteful but necessary means of maintaining power.
Noam Chomsky criticizes the hierarchical management structures prevalent in U.S. industry and universities, suggesting that these layers of administration serve primarily to exert control over individuals. While he acknowledges that this might create economic inefficiencies, he argues that such structures are intentionally designed to uphold authority and dominance, reflecting deeper societal issues around power dynamics and organizational control.
Themes
ControlManagementPowerAuthorityDominance
In practice
Example use cases
In a corporate meeting about management strategies.
More from Noam Chomsky
All quotes →The 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.
Noam ChomskyRead
If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
Noam ChomskyRead
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.
Noam ChomskyRead
The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
Noam ChomskyRead
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.
Noam ChomskyRead
Similar quotes
One of the greatest joys of leadership is assembling and knitting together teams of fantastic people.
Bill HybelsRead
I would like a more missionary church,Not so much a tranquil church, but a beautiful church that goes forward.
Pope FrancisRead
If you want to coach you have three rules to follow to win. One, surround yourself with people who can't live without football. I've had a lot of them. Two, be able to recognize winners. They come in all forms. And, three, have a plan for everything. A plan for practice, a plan for the game. A plan for being ahead, and a plan for being behind 20-0 at half, with your quarterback hurt and the phones dead, with it raining cats and dogs and no rain gear because the equipment man left it at home.
Bear BryantRead
I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person. It's a pretty good test.
Mark ZuckerbergRead
When you start with Super 8, you are everything. You're the DP, the sound man, the effects guy. And what I started understanding, by working for other people, is that the best type of director is someone who rose through the ranks.
Guillermo Del ToroRead
Because man and woman are the complement of one another, we need woman's thought in national affairs to make a safe and stable government.
Elizabeth Cady StantonRead