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Published "Syntactic Structures"
Chomsky's "Syntactic Structures" opposed B. F. Skinner's concepts of the origin of language, who believed that newborn babies have a 'blank' mind and learn language through mimicry. Chomsky proposed that children are born with the innate ability to learn any 'generative grammar' and thus languages they are exposed to. Chomsky, Noam. Syntactic Structures. Mouton de Gruyter, 2002. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ling.upenn.edu/courses/ling5700/Chomsky1957.pdf. -
Proposed Universal Grammar Theory
Chomsky proposed that all languages are similar in that they have nouns, verbs, and adjectives and that at birth, children have the ability to begin learning language. He theorized that a part of the brain, the 'language acquisition device' holds rules for grammar and that children simply need to learn vocabulary to apply those rules. Chomsky's expertise in linguistics has been awarded with the 'Father of Linguistics' title and he has been compared to linguistics as Darwin has to evolution. -
"The Responsibility of Intellectuals" and Review of the Macdonald articles
Chomsky has always been outspoken about his political views and has offered social critiques. He has supported unconditional free speech. He wrote this article to protest the Vietnam War and expose government lies, and identify motives of war. He is quoted with saying, "The power of the government’s propaganda apparatus is such that the citizen who does not undertake a research project on the subject can hardly hope to confront government pronouncements with fact."
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"Manufacturing Consent" and Public Obedience
This book is an example of Chomsky's contribution to political philosophy. He critiques how media serves as a propaganda tool for manipulating public perception and limiting democratic discourse. By exposing the shaping of ideology, he offers a philosophical framework to understand power, control, and consent in modern society. He states, "The way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum.”