Avram Noam Chomsky
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“Pick the topic you like: the Middle East, international terrorism, Central America, whatever it is-the picture of the world that’s presented to the public has only the remotest relation to reality. The truth of the matter is buried under edifice after edifice of lies upon lies. It’s all been a marvelous success from the point of view in deterring the threat of democracy, achieved under the conditions of freedom which is extremely interesting. It’s not like a totalitarian state, where it is done by force. These achievements are under the conditions of freedom.” -Noam Chomsky
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Biography Chomsky was born to Jewish immigrants in Philadelphia. He began studying at the University of Pennsylvania at age 16. During his postgraduate work in the Harvard Society of Fellows, Chomsky developed the theory of transformational grammar for which he earned his doctorate in 1955. That year he began teaching at MIT, and in 1957 emerged as a significant figure in linguistics with his landmark work Syntactic Structures, which played a major role in remodeling the study of language. From 1958 to 1959 Chomsky was a National Science Foundation fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study.
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The Father of Modern Linguistics
Avram Noam Chomsky was born on December 7, 1928, and is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called “the father of modern linguistics”, Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He has authored of more than 150 books on topics such as linguistics, war, politics, and mass media.
4 Picture of the University of Pennsylvania as background and a picture of him in college
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An outspoken opponent of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, which he saw as an act of American imperialism, in 1967 Chomsky rose to national attention for his anti-war essay “The Responsibility of Intellectuals”. Becoming associated with the New Left, he was arrested multiple times for his activism and placed on President Richard Nixon’s Enemies List
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Since retiring from active teaching at MIT, he has continued his vocal political activism, including opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq and calling into question the American and British incentives for the conflict Additionally, he was a large critic of American and British involvement and the war crimes they committed in Iraq.
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Manufacturing Consent
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One of his most famous b o oks, C homsky ar t ic ul ate d t he prop agand a mo del of me di a cr it icism in “Manufac tur ing C ons ent”.
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Noam Chomsky Memorial
No am C homsky des er ves a monument for many re as ons. One of t he most cite d s chol ars a live, C homsky has inf luence d a bro ad ar ray of ac ademic f ields. He is w idely re cognize d as hav ing help e d to sp ark t he cog nit ive re volut ion in t he human s ciences, cont r ibut ing to t he de velopment of a ne w cog nit iv ist f rame work for t he study of l angu age and t he mind.
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I n a d d i t i o n t o h i s c o n t i n u e d s c h o l a r s h i p, h e r e m a i n s a l e a d i n g c r i t i c o f A m e r i c a n f o r e i g n p o l i c y, neoliberalism and contemporar y state capitalism, t h e Is r a e l i – Pa l e s t i n i a n c o n f l i c t , a n d m a i n s t r e a m news media. Chomsky and his ideas are highly inf luential in the anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist m o v e m e n t s . No a m C h o m s k y i s a Je w i s h m a n , b u t h a s s u g g e s t e d t h a t h e i s a n “a n t i - Z i o n i s t” a n d t h a t a v i a b l e Pa l e s t i n a i n s t a t e i s t h e s o l u t i o n t o t h e Is r a e l i - Pa l e s t i n i a n c o n f l i c t .
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Pic of Palestinian flag
Although Chomsky is a Jewish man, he has been very adamant about steadfast support for a Palestinian state and has spoken out in favor of labeling Israel as an “apartheid state”. By doing so, Noam Chomsky has become a voice of dissent against American foreign policy in the Middle East.
Chomsky’s monument would have a bookcase displaying all his books, with tables and chairs. On the ground surrounding the monument, there would be his quotes in multiple languages. On the GMU campus, this monument should be placed next to the Mason Pond. This would provide a beautiful study area and a place of reflection. Another location where this monument should be placed is in the Occupied East Jerusalem, because Noam Chomsky has been a staunch defender of the Palestinians in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Having his monument in East Jerusalem would allow Palestinians to appreciate someone, especially of Jewish decent, who empathizes with their struggle. The construction of the Noam Chomsky monument would be the ultimate appreciation for all of his contributions to the academic spheres of linguistics, politics, and so many more fields.