There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
The probability of apocalypse soon cannot be realistically estimated, but it is surely too high for any sane person to contemplate with equanimity.
Interpretation
The likelihood of an impending apocalypse is uncertain, yet it is alarming enough to cause concern among rational individuals.
Noam Chomsky emphasizes the unpredictability of catastrophic events, suggesting that while we cannot quantify the exact chance of an apocalypse, the mere thought of it is disturbing for anyone who maintains a rational perspective. This quote underlines the existential anxiety that many people feel regarding future uncertainties, advocating for a mindful approach to contemplating such dire possibilities.
In practice
Use this quote in a discussion about climate change and its potential catastrophic effects.
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.
As far as history goes I am dead. If there is something beyond I shall have to bounce back. I have found God, but he is insufficient. I am only spiritually dead. Physically I am alive. Morally I am free. The world which I have departed is a menagerie.
Ethical axioms are found and tested not very differently from the axioms of science. Truth is what stands the test of experience.
Every period ruled by mystics was an era of stagnation and want, when most men were on strike against existence.
If we go back to the beginnings of things, we shall always find that ignorance and fear created the gods; that imagination, rapture and deception embellished them; that weakness worships them; that custom spares them; and that tyranny favors them in order to profit from the blindness of men.
Freedom granted only when it is known beforehand that its effects will be beneficial is not freedom.
Abnormal, adj. Not conforming to standard. In matters of thought and conduct, to be independent is to be abnormal, to be abnormal is to be detested.
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