The Chomsky-Foucault Debate: On Human Nature

The Chomsky-Foucault Debate: On Human Nature - Paperback

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The Chomsky-Foucault Debate: On Human Nature
  • The Chomsky-Foucault Debate: On Human Nature
The Chomsky-Foucault Debate: On Human Nature - Paperback

The Chomsky-Foucault Debate: On Human Nature - Paperback

by Noam Chomsky , Michel Foucault
$15.95
$15.95

Book Overview

by Noam Chomsky (Author), Michel Foucault (Author)

In this historic 1971 debate, two of the twentieth century's most influential thinkers discuss whether there is such a thing as innate human nature.

In 1971, at the height of the Vietnam War and at a time of great political and social instability, two of the world's leading intellectuals, Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault, were invited by Dutch philosopher Fons Elders to debate an age-old question: Is there such a thing as "innate" human nature independent of our experiences and external influences?

The resulting dialogue is one of the most original, provocative, and spontaneous exchanges to have occurred between contemporary philosophers. Above all, their discussion serves as a concise introduction to their two opposing theories. What begins as a philosophical argument rooted in linguistics (Chomsky) and the theory of knowledge (Foucault), soon evolves into a broader discussion encompassing a wide range of topics, from science, history, and behaviorism to creativity, freedom, and the struggle for justice in the realm of politics.

In addition to the debate itself, this volume features a newly written introduction by noted Foucault scholar John Rajchman and includes substantial additional texts by Chomsky and Foucault.

"[Chomsky is] arguably the most important intellectual alive." --The New York Times

"Foucault . . . leaves no reader untouched or unchanged." --Edward Said

Author Biography

Noam Chomsky is Institute Professor (emeritus) in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Laureate Professor of Linguistics and Agnese Nelms Haury Chair in the Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona. A world-renowned linguist and political activist, he is the author of numerous books, including On Language: Chomsky's Classic Works Language and Responsibility and Reflections on Language; Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky, edited by Peter R. Mitchell and John Schoeffel; American Power and the New Mandarins; For Reasons of State; Problems of Knowledge and Freedom; Objectivity and Liberal Scholarship; Towards a New Cold War: U.S. Foreign Policy from Vietnam to Reagan; The Essential Chomsky (edited by Anthony Arnove); and On Anarchismand The Withdrawal and On Cuba (both with Vijay Prashad), all published by The New Press. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Michel Foucault (1926-1984) was one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century. He held a chair in the history of systems of thought at the Collège de France and lectured at universities throughout the world. The New Press has published his books Aesthetics, Method, and Epistemology; Ethics; Power; and The Essential Foucault. Foucault's other books include Madness and Civilization, Discipline and Punish, The Order of Things, and The History of Sexuality.

Number of Pages: 240
Dimensions: 0.65 x 7.5 x 5.26 IN
Publication Date: September 18, 2006
ISBN9781595581341
Author Noam Chomsky , Michel Foucault
PublisherNew Press
GenrePhilosophy
FormatPaperback
PublishedSeptember 2006
LanguageENG- English
Pages240
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

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About Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky is institute professor emeritus in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and lau­reate professor in the Agnes Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona. His work is widely credited with having revolutionized the field of modern linguistics, and he is equally renowned for his incisive writings on global affairs and U.S. foreign policy. The single most cited and published living author, winner of numer­ous international awards, Chomsky has written over one hundred books, including the bestselling political works Hegemony or Survival, Failed States, and Who Rules the World?.
About Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault was born in Poitiers, France, in 1926. He lecturerd in universities throughout the world; served as director at the Institut Francais in Hamburg, Germany and at the Institut de Philosophi at the Faculte des Lettres in the University of Clermont-Ferrand, France; and wrote frequently for French newspapers and reviews. At the time of his death in 1984, he held a chair at France's most prestigious institutions, the College de France.

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