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Avram Noam Chomsky
Avarm Noam Chomsky, more commonly known simply as Noam Chomsky, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 7th, 1928. Photo: Noam Chomsky by Hans Peters, 8 December 1977. Public Domain. -
Response to B.F. Skinner and Criticism of Behaviorism
A pivotal moment early in the career of Chomsky was his response to the B.F. Skinner and criticism of behaviorism in general. His 1959 review of Skinner's work "Verbal Behavior" (1957) has become more well known than the original work (Enos). Chomsky argued that, in the context of language, available data (i.e. what people say) does not provide a meaningful explination (Enos). Instead, Chomsky argues, it is necessary to examine the language user's mind and make inferences (Enos). -
Chomsky's Approach to Science
The approach Chomsky took towards linguistics, and science is general, is not what was typical for linguists at the time. The usual approach was to analyze a large amount of data, in this case different languages, and look for patterns in order to develop theories (Enos). In contrast, Chomsky took an approach that has been described as "Galilean" (Enos). This approach is to focus on specific and important data that is better explained by one's theory versus the alternatives (Enos). -
Nature of Evidence
"Early in his career (1965), Chomsky specified three levels...that a theory of language should satisfy, and this has remained a feature of his work."(Enos) Chomsky argued, in the context of linguistics, there are three kinds of evidence: observational, descriptive, and explanatory. Obervational evidence is gathered by looking at what speakers say (Enos). Descriptive evidence is to "provide an account" of what is actually known (Enos). Explanatory explains how knowledge is gained (Enos). -
Contributions to the Philosophy of Science, Cognitive Science, and the Philosophy of the Mind: Part One
Chomsky's research and theories have primarily addressed linguistics, but because he is dealing with the human mind there has been overlaps with other fields (Enos). " Although Chomsky has not ventured far into general questions about mental architecture outside of the areas concerned with language, his impact has been enormous, especially concerning methodology." (Enos) Chomsky is credited with bringing back the mind as a worthy object of study (Enos) which had been dismissed by behaviorism. -
Contributions to the Philosophy of Science, Cognitive Science, and the Philosophy of the Mind: Part Two
Chomsky endeavored to approach language as a natural science. The so called "cognitive revolution" is something that Chomsky has been credited with (McGilvray). Chomsky describes his own contributions as not necessarily original but perhaps a reintroduction of seventeenth-century philosopher-scientists (e.g. Galileo)(McGilvray). -
Selected Bibliography
Chomsky, Noam.Review of Verbal Behavior, by B.F. Skinner. Language 35, no. 1 (January-March 1959): 26-
57. (Reprinted as no. A-34 in the Social Sciences by Bobbs-Merrill, Inc. Chomsky, Noam. “On the Notion 'Rule of Grammar'.” In Proceedings of Symposia in Applied Mathematics 12:
Structure of Language and its Mathematical Aspects, edited by Roman Jakobson, 6-24.
Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society, 1961