There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
States are not moral agents, people are, and can impose moral standards on powerful institutions.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that moral responsibility lies with individuals rather than governments or institutions.
Noam Chomsky's quote underscores the idea that while states and institutions hold power, it is ultimately individuals who possess the capacity for moral judgment. This suggests that it is the responsibility of people to impose ethical standards on these powerful entities, rather than blindly following their actions. It calls for accountability and reminds us that significant change begins with individual moral agency.
Themes
MoralityResponsibilityIndividualsPowerEthics
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be referenced in a discussion about social justice and individual accountability.
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.
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
I don't mind a dirty girl. But what I find tragic is when we, as women, become not the subject of our own story but someone else's object.
Tori AmosRead
Who knows when the end is reached? Death may be the beginning of life. How do I know that love of life is not a delusion after all? How do I know that he who dreads to die is as a child who has lost the way and cannot find his way home? How do I know that the dead repent of having previously clung to life?
ZhuangziRead
At the time I did not know that stories of life are often more like rivers than books.
Norman MacleanRead
Only powerful people have liberty.
Sun Yat-SenRead
Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary.
Mark TwainRead
Religion is a search for transcendence. But transcendence isn't necessarily sited in an external god, which can be a very unspiritual, unreligious concept.
Karen ArmstrongRead