Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky

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Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky

by Noam Chomsky, John Schoeffel (Editor)

4.38 of 5 stars 4.38 · rating details · 2,078 ratings · 133 reviews

The best of Chomsky's recent talks on the past, present, and future of the politics of power. In a series of enlightening and wide-ranging discussions, all published here for the first time, Chomsky radically reinterprets the events of the past three decades, covering topics from foreign policy during Vietnam to the decline of welfare under the Clinton administration.

416 pages

Published February 1st 2002 by New Press, The (first published 2002)

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Apr 09, 2009 Todd rated it 5 of 5 stars

Want to understanding international politics? Want to know how to read between the lines of the days headlines? Want to know where to start with Noam Chomsky? The answer to all those questions is: Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky.

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Jul 03, 2010 Bryan added it

Intentions Good, Views Dangerous: Understanding Power is, without question, the most comprehensive and compelling presentation of Noam Chomsky's ideas. Reading this book will change the way you see the world. If you are interested in Chomsky, it is likely that you are a noble person who genuinely cares for others and yearns for a better world. Beware, reader, and make sure you choose the right vehicle for your hope. While his intentions are for a peaceful, safe, and healthy world, Chomsky's poli...more Intentions Good, Views Dangerous: Understanding Power is, without question, the most comprehensive and compelling presentation of Noam Chomsky's ideas. Reading this book will change the way you see the world. If you are interested in Chomsky, it is likely that you are a noble person who genuinely cares for others and yearns for a better world. Beware, reader, and make sure you choose the right vehicle for your hope. While his intentions are for a peaceful, safe, and healthy world, Chomsky's political writings systematically assume conscious malevolence without evidence, ignore context, and romanticize Third World struggles, regardless of their goals.

Let's briefly examine some of his convictions on a pressing topic: the War on Terror. Following the September 11th attacks, Chomsky immediately presented them as our fault: the result of U.S. Middle East policy, and equally evil U.S. Cold War efforts (training Mujahadeen to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan). His presumption here is that if the United States changes its behavior, that terrorist attacks will then cease. Islamic terrorists, in fact, want a pan-world government under Talibanesque repressive sharia law, a vision that mandates the overthrow of all free nations beginning with ours. These facts are easily learned by reading about the historical development of Islamic radicalism, which is rooted in reinterpretations of the Qur'an's dictates for action, NOT in wishes to live peacefully in a U.S.-free Middle East. These facts, however, do not enter into the Chomskyan world-view, which romanticizes Third World underdogs as brave and legitimized no matter what they stand for.

The linguist also described the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan as a conscious "silent genocide," predicting wrongly that millions would be severed from food supplies. As is typical, Chomsky here focused solely on the negative aspects of the situation, those for which the U.S. deserved his bitter recrimination. For a man who lives prosperously in America and is supposedly the voice of the downtrodden, Chomsky certainly did not put himself into the shoes of the Afghan women. For them, whose existence was akin to slavery, the liberation was a cause for great joy. Actual sentiments were fully antithetical to Chomsky's condemnatory remarks to his villainous U.S. government, which he and he alone believed was consciously bent on killing as many innocent Afghans as possible. Omitting what is significant (the liberation of people living under tyranny, in this case) to emphasize his often ludicrous misperceptions about American motives and motivations is a constant in Chomsky's writings. His Cold War depictions are even more stunning, as Understanding Power's abundant examples attest.

In the case that you are already entrenched in his manner of thinking, at least admit that Noam Chomsky MIGHT be wrong, and see if his positions hold up under review: read Chomsky's articulate, sane critics. If he is perfect, then you have nothing but gain to acheive from this exercise; it will only serve to strengthen your ability to effectively argue and implement Chomsky's ideas in the world. After clear-eyed reassessment of his political writings, if you STILL think he's on-point, then all the best to you. If, however, you reevaluate his "wisdom," you will have saved yourself from much needless confusion and despair.

Were Chomsky's views simply false, there would not be need for this posting. They become perilous, however, in their blind, wholesale demonization of the United States. Chomsky's own fear and anger about the state of our world are projected, with great urgency: anger at and fear of U.S. "elites" is the Chomsky program. The result is often flat-out hatred. What would Chomsky do were he President? We do not know; he avoids that inconvenient question by telling us that were he to run (which he admits he would never do), the first thing he would do is tell us not to vote for him. Furthermore, why does Professor Chomsky not include himself in the "elites" so prominent in his analyses? Does he not pay taxes, and drive a BMW, and teach at a cushy, prestigious university? The questions may seem too simplistic, but they point to a core issue: if Chomsky cannot look into the mirror regarding his own status and societal position, then how much more impaired must his assessments be of things outside of himself? On paper, it is unclear exactly what Chomsky IS calling for, and putting aside the constant onslaught of judgment-filled writings and audio programs, neither does his life provide us an example of what he conceives to be right-action. Those who want an idea of who believes IN Chomsky, however, need look no further than Hugo Chavez, who recently proclaimed allegiance and military support to his "brother" Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad, for anyone who needs reminding, daily denies the Holocaust, and calls for the destruction of Israel and the United States. Is it a coincidence that those who love Chomsky also embrace a world-view rooted in blame, anger, and vilification?

Good and evil do exist in this world, but Noam Chomsky is not capable of distinguishing between the two. The U.S.A. is not perfect, and never will be. Nevertheless, if we fail to recognize the good that IS here, we may soon lose our nation. Chomsky's writings are little more than a good reminder that appearance is not essence. It is worth noting as well, that Chomsky is an avowed atheist, and believes that life is meaningless. If we bear in mind that evil is in the eye of the beholder, then Chomsky--an American, an Israelite, a millionaire--is instantly unmasked in all of his self-revulsion. Understanding Power should be retitled as "Understanding Blame." Stear clear and take heart, reader; there is hope in this world, and your country is good, but you will discover neither in Avram Noam Chomsky.(less)

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Jul 27, 2012 Ebeneezer rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is a feat of editing. It condenses aspects of Chomsky's talks from across decades and references them at a separate website, understandingpower.com. Here are some favourite quotes:

You should not expect an institution to say, "Help me destroy myself," that's not the way institutions function. And if anybody inside the institution tried to do that, they wouldn't be inside it much longer.

If you're getting accepted in elite circles, chances are very strong that you're doing something wrong...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Adam Roan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Propaganda is to democracy what violence is to totalitarianism. - Noam Chomsky

After reading five or six Chomsky books - this is without a split-second of thought his best, most highly honored and important texts assembled to date.

I'm not sure who(m)ever edited this book, it seems to be cut with precise trimming. The rhetoric speaks with a strong appeal (fulfilling pathos, ethos and logos) to help engage the reader indefinitely. Yes, Chomsky's monologues can be a bit dry because they are so factu...more Propaganda is to democracy what violence is to totalitarianism. - Noam Chomsky

After reading five or six Chomsky books - this is without a split-second of thought his best, most highly honored and important texts assembled to date.

I'm not sure who(m)ever edited this book, it seems to be cut with precise trimming. The rhetoric speaks with a strong appeal (fulfilling pathos, ethos and logos) to help engage the reader indefinitely. Yes, Chomsky's monologues can be a bit dry because they are so factually inclusive; but this book does capture Chomsky's emotional sense of self-identity... in particular, his rhetoric isn't fluff, it doesn't drill into emotions too much, and it doesn't always point the finger and demonize a single individual.

The idelogue is all there, patiently waiting for you to read it and eventually surrender to much of the obscenities in the world.

It also sticks to the facts.

What I love most about the book: the frequent theme of Americans attack on foreign soil democracies. Even when a nation shows any interest in developing a real democracy, with honest people and a leader who promises to give voice to his own bourgeoisie, it's been proven repeated again and again that Americans invade and take dispose of those who show this type of mentality. (most of this happens inside latin america, for instance.)

Military-industrial complex is a oft-repeated "theme." Basically: we not only experience military-industrial complex from a conscious, direct, and typical method of looking at the military and how it uses the government as a crux to feed itself. It's a logic that precedes our health care system and our banking system; much of our country is built on industrial institutions.

Here's a creative flow chart displaying how Chomsky explains it using five key points:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jgo6O_e8NtA...

Certainly his ideologue about neo-conserativism is quite venerable, passionate... it's important to embrace this in a strong light. He argues that neo-liberalism (which represents the entire spectrum of popular political thought) is dangerous, so dangerous in fact that he puts conservatives in their proper place when speaking of Adam Smith's "Wealth Of Nations." Many neo-cons, when given the criteria of "Wealth of Nations," completely botch the text with their own private agenda. They might read the text to only charm themselves with a taste of what the book really has to offer... they don't actually recognize what Smith was aiming at: division of labor is not the solution but actually symptomatic of itself.

I must mention this: the text is not for the faint-hearted. This is not a Zeitgeist-lets-exploit-sensationalism. It's purely, from an insider-looking-out perspective, a text to be absorbed at only an intellectual depth (deductive reasoning.)
(less)

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May 05, 2012 BeeQuiet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: academic, non-fiction

I have strong feelings moving in both ways on this book, as whilst Chomsky does make very good points on multiple issues, his attempts at modesty occasionally fall flat as it becomes apparent that he thinks he understands the whole world order more than he does. I do feel that his analysis of the media is by and large correct - if one is funded by advertisers, those advertisers must be pleased and they will not be pleased if you run the wrong messages. I know plenty of people who simply swallow...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Zach Cohen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the best single source of Chomsky's work I've come across. A triumph of editing, this book is made up of excerpts of talks Chomsky gave throughout the 80s and 90s. Loosely organized by topic, the book is highly flowing and readable. It includes an encyclopedic reference section available online that is longer than the main text of the book. This is where I recommend anyone not familiar with Chomsky's work to begin; it's the most comprehensive and accessible compilation of his thoughts. M...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Jack rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having only read Chomsky in snippets here and there, I thought this book was a broad, accessible introduction to Chomsky's thoughts on the issues for which he is best known in pop culture (those relating to politics and power). Regardless of what one ultimately thinks of Chomsky's opinions (and he reiterates constantly that his intent is to provoke discussion, not to provide all the answers), the man is at least important to understand for modern democratic citizens. His knowledge of global curr...more

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Jun 01, 2010 Eric added it · review of another edition

I'm always afraid of reading political things (A) because I'm scared of it being completely over my head and (B) because I'm aware that I have a tendency to uncritically accept what people say [which makes for a lot of fun if you read different points of views because everything everybody says (even the contradictory stuff) sounds 100% right:].

This book was very conversational (partly due to format, transcribed Q&A sessions and I imagine partly due to Chomsky's dislike of the idea of an 'int...more

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Dec 02, 2009 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Noam Chomsky is a respected linguist who is also known as a political dissident and writer. His best-known work is probably Manufacturing Consent, in which Chomsky and Edward Herman examined “how the media ought to function and how they do function” within a framework of propaganda.

Years ago, I remember picking up something by Chomsky and finding it very academic and dry. Understanding Power, on the contrary, is infinitely readable. Discussions among groups of activists, from dozens of “Teach-in...more Noam Chomsky is a respected linguist who is also known as a political dissident and writer. His best-known work is probably Manufacturing Consent, in which Chomsky and Edward Herman examined “how the media ought to function and how they do function” within a framework of propaganda.

Years ago, I remember picking up something by Chomsky and finding it very academic and dry. Understanding Power, on the contrary, is infinitely readable. Discussions among groups of activists, from dozens of “Teach-ins” and question-and-answer sessions, were transcribed and organized into a readable format.

From the editor’s preface: “Chomsky’s great contribution is his mastery of a huge wealth of factual information, and his uncanny skill at unmasking, in case after case, the workings and deceptions of powerful institutions in today’s world. His method involves teaching through examples—not in the abstract—as a means of helping people to learn how to think critically for themselves.”

Chomsky never offers specific solutions to specific problems; rather, he reveals underlying power structures and suggests that his audience trust their own judgments and believe in their own ability to see, understand, and dig deeper for the truth. Consistently, Chomsky takes a positive view of where we are in the struggle for human rights and democracy, and his overarching concept is that change comes through the hard work and combined efforts of many (often anonymous) people.

The main reason I decided to start getting involved in my community was because of Chomsky’s stance that effective social and political change can only happen when people work together. Alone, one is easily overwhelmed by the world’s problems: what could I possibly do about these huge, complicated issues? Chomsky seems to suggest that you won’t know what you could accomplish until you sit down with others and try to work it out.

He doesn’t focus on sustainability issues per se, but one of the main themes that emerges is that our current political and social system is not viable.(less)

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Nov 09, 2009 Jonathan rated it 5 of 5 stars

All right, here we go:

I'm not a political scientist -- probably this works in my favor -- so I can't level this kind of assessment with anything like authority, but for what it's worth, I think Chomsky's mostly right about most everything he talks about.

BUT. Rather than attempt once again to articulate an objection that's always struck me as sort of obvious every time I've dipped into one of his books (and I have read a few now, sure. I really like the guy), I think I'll let him make my point fo...more

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Nov 01, 2008 Randy Cooper rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the second time through this book for me. I met Noam in the 70s through professor types who revered him (justifiably) for his talents in linguistics. He has a range of knowledge amazingly far reaching and is a very engaging person to have dialogue with. This book is worth the ride if only for the footnotes @ http://www.understandingpower.com/.

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Apr 18, 2012 Gareth Mann rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a GREAT introduction to Noam Chomsky. This book touches on everything from terrorism (u.s and across the world), intellectual thought and ideology. And the great thing is, it doesn't get boring.

The book is a set of discussions and really allows the reader to ease into and feel comfortable with the topics being raised. Chomksy's style is very down to earth, anyone who has heard his voice will know what im talking about.

Chomsky deals mostly with the United States and its actions in the wor...more

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Jul 26, 2007 Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fantastic collection of talks given by Chomsky over the years. Serves as the perfect introduction to his work if you are unfamiliar with it. Just pick a chapter and read it a little at a time.

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Mar 03, 2011 Kassandra rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This is an amazing collection of Chomsky's work. For me it wasn't the type of book I sat and read cover to cover in one sitting. It was one I slowly worked my way through wrapping my mind around the vast amount of information he provided. I actually read this book with a highlighter in hand as though it was a college text book! Noam Chomsky is brilliant and this is my favorite book of his that I have read. I have a couple others and I feel like this one presents his views in the most comprehensi...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Nikzad rated it 5 of 5 stars

I came to know and appreciate Chomsky's ideas via some of his interviews. This was my first book by Chomsky. Its a collection of his lectures in the 90's, compiled such that you clearly follow the flow of ideas. I guess even if somebody remotely follows politics through the media, this book is must. The book provides with the basics of trying to read between the lines... not just following what “they” present. It also gave me some confidence to question the ideas behind governments, ideas that I...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Alessandro Pellizzari rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: saggi, e

Inquietante e spaventoso. A volte si dice senza pensarci troppo "la realtà supera la fantasia", ma leggendo questo libro ci si rende conto di quanto sia vero. Sconsigliato a chi soffre di crisi depressive e di manie di persecuzione, perché potrebbe portare al suicidio. L'autore (o meglio "il protagonista") esprime naturalmente la sua opinione su molti dei punti discussi, e si tratta di un punto di vista da "anarchico". Su ogni argomento si può concordare o meno, ma i fatti che riporta sono perlo...more

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Nov 25, 2008 Charlie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: radical-politics, pop-academic

This was my introduction to the most quoted author after Seakspear and the Bible. He has been called the "world's most important intellectual" by the New York Times (and that is why they won't print most of what he has to say) and was placed in Richard Nixon's top 100 enemies of the United States when Nixon was President. In the mid 60's when Vietnam was acceptable to most Americans Professor Chomsky (Noble laureate and professor of Linguistics at MIT)was leading anti-war demonstations.
This boo...more

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Jan 03, 2011 Callsign222 rated it 4 of 5 stars

A great collection of thought and critique on Power and the Structures of Power. Highly recommended. A little dated since lots of the conversations are from prior to 9-11, but still very applicable to today. Refreshing, critical analysis. I have some quibbles here and there about taking some examples out of proportion, but that does not necessarily invalidate the idea he is trying to support. I enjoy that he understands and recognizes how great it is to be able to speak our mind freely in the U....more

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Jun 25, 2010 Shawn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics

I was reading this at my local coffee shop about five+ years ago and some guy asked to use my cellphone. I obliged, but then he started walking towards the door with it as he was leaving a message! So I yelled out, "Hey. Where you going with my phone?" He was not pleased, or 'ungrateful' depending on your perspective, and he then noticed my reading material when he handed back the phone. He made a snide remark concerning the title of this book and how it relates to my control of my cellphone and...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Christian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me start of by saying I didn't agree with everything he says in this book, but we should not only read things we agree with. We should strive to seek NEW information. This book definitely expanded my mind.

While Chomsky definitely has a cynical view of the US and the world, this book still contains great insights into all sorts of things. For instance, he talks about the military-industrial complex, tons of references to Orwell's 1984, propaganda, any people from other countries perceive us a...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Evelyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: anarchism, current-affairs, media, non-fiction, philosophy, politics, religion, history, economics, all-time-favourites, read-in-2011

An eye-opening book which is accessible for almost everyone to read without too much trouble and a great introduction to many topics surrounding the politics of Power. Packed within these 400 pages, Chomsky discusses US foreign policy & US politics in general, Israel, Palestine & the Middle East, histories of labour and social movements, propaganda techniques of the mainstream media, the military-industrial complex and the UN to name just a few. He also talks about activism and the need...more

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May 25, 2011 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Chomsky is one of the critical deans of American political history: ironic and pessimistic; forever probing and analyzing the decrepitude, deceit, and delusion rife within the ready presentation and understanding of the United States as an exceptional force of good in the world, and a constant decrier of the various means and manipulations the government and media undertake to stoke this view; content in generally limiting himself to pointing out the flaws in the system, the hypocrisy and moral...more

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Oct 24, 2010 Devin Wallace rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, politics

To put it mildly, I was unaware of Chomsky's politics before reading Understanding Power. It provides a detailed insight into his views over the past few decades, although that is the one fault. I am the type of person who is interested in the "now," or up-to-the-minute details. It took some effort to work through Chomsky's views on events, some rather minimal ,that occured in the 70's and had little relevence for me today. However, the information is pure Chomsky, and a good asset to have read....more

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Mar 03, 2013 Valdir Stumm Junior rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This book consists of a series of transcriptions from interviews/discussions with Mr. Chomsky, concerning mostly the US domination against the world.

Everyone should read this book, because Mr. Chomsky provides us with a lot of facts that are not well known, lots of important history facts that are not taught at schools (surely on purpose).

Every single statement is followed by a reference to other books or US Government declassified documents, just to prove the truth of the statements.

It is a mus...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Sophee Payne rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was my introduction to Chomsky, and ever since I have had the utmost respect for his work. This is a long book, but if you can read just parts of it I know it would enlighten you (more than you may ever want to be). It covers so much of U.S. foreign and domestic policy that I can't even begin to say what you'll discover. I was particularly interested in the Latin American atrocities because I had never known about them until I read this book.

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Apr 24, 2013 Freddy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great questions, amazing answers. This is my first chomsky book and I'm totally blown away. He mainly focuses on power relations and hegemony here but also offers an interesting take on activism and alternative economies. Although I don't agree with everything he says (his views on technology sound pretty bleak and his opinion on corporate planning seems rather simplistic) he offers interesting insight into the world of international affairs. I've fact checked a few things because certain events...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Raymonds009 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Everytime I read Noam I get more depressed. But, I can't help myself. The problem is not that we are in such difficult situations as a body-politic but rather that we don't know what a deep hole we are in and we keep shooting oursevles in the foot. {Please ignore mixed metaphore, thanks.) Because Noam is never completely pessimistic you just keep reading hoping for some light at the end of the tunnel.

Maybe next time we won't get into an endless war with no point and no money. Maybe next time our...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Leo Polovets rated it 5 of 5 stars

Observations:

1) Chomsky has an amazing memory.
2) Even if only 10% of this book were true, it would be incredible from the point of view of shattering illusions about government, media, etc.
3) I suspect much more than 10% of this book is true.

My illusions have been shattered.

I love that despite all of the reasons to be cynical, Chomsky remains hopeful and pragmatic.

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Nov 26, 2008 Gemma Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am becoming a serious Chomsky addict. This is a collection of talks with the emphasis on dissidence and organising for change. Chomsky is excellent on the analysis of power and on the importance of the individual. He is completely down to earth and has a wonderful focus on the abilities of people to understand and engage with the world. Encouraging stuff, despite all the appalling issues raised here. I love his direct approach and his commitment.

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Dec 04, 2008 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anarchists, US history buffs, Republicrats and Democians, journalism majors, people who think

A must for anyone who wants to really educate themselves on how the government, media (and the corporations who control both), really work in this country. Noam is very smart man, to say the least. Most of his speeches were collected in the 1980s, so it's a little dated, but for most part scarily prescient.

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About Noam Chomsky

Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, political activist, author, and lecturer. He is an Institute Professor and professor emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Chomsky is credited with the creation of the theory of generative grammar, considered to be one of the most significant contributions to the field of linguistics made in the 20th century. H...more

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“...the qualifications that I have to speak on world affairs are exactly the same ones Henry Kissinger has, and Walt Rostow has, or anybody in the Political Science Department, professional historians—none, none that you don't have. The only difference is, I don't pretend to have qualifications, nor do I pretend that qualifications are needed. I mean, if somebody were to ask me to give a talk on quantum physics, I'd refuse—because I don't understand enough. But world affairs are trivial: there's nothing in the social sciences or history or whatever that is beyond the intellectual capacities of an ordinary fifteen-year-old. You have to do a little work, you have to do some reading, you have to be able to think but there's nothing deep—if there are any theories around that require some special kind of training to understand, then they've been kept a carefully guarded secret.” — 3 people liked it

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