Sign in with Facebook
Jostein's Reviews > Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky
Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky
by
by
This book is a transcription of talks done by Chomsky in the 90s, and people ask him all sorts of questions. However, the main topics are american politics, both foreign and domestic. Chomsky sounds like a living lexicon as he talks about every single US intervention, the sciences and just about everything else. And he has a remarkable ability to break problems down and explain everything in a very understandable way.
His world view seems quite cynical at times. I wondered sometimes if his interpretations were a bit far-fetched, but usually he has pretty sound logic to back up his statements.
This is a very interesting book as it presents deep reflections on so many topics. Agree or not, Chomsky makes you think. And he says straight out that he does not want to tell people what to do. But he wants people to open their eyes to the power structures around them, and he wants to inspire people to organize. For lots of quotes from this book, check out Tara’s great review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
His world view seems quite cynical at times. I wondered sometimes if his interpretations were a bit far-fetched, but usually he has pretty sound logic to back up his statements.
This is a very interesting book as it presents deep reflections on so many topics. Agree or not, Chomsky makes you think. And he says straight out that he does not want to tell people what to do. But he wants people to open their eyes to the power structures around them, and he wants to inspire people to organize. For lots of quotes from this book, check out Tara’s great review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Understanding Power.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
December 20, 2021
–
Started Reading
December 20, 2021
– Shelved
January 24, 2022
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-4 of 4 (4 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Tara
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Jan 24, 2022 05:28AM
Excellent review! I think you're probably right about the cynicism, but since I'm biased in much the same way, I guess I overlooked it at the time :p I'll have to edit my review to include a link to yours, since you actually took the time to write one, and not just toss out a handful of quotes like I did :D
reply
|
flag
Tara wrote: "Excellent review! I think you're probably right about the cynicism, but since I'm biased in much the same way, I guess I overlooked it at the time :p I'll have to edit my review to include a link t..."Thank you Tara :) It feels like a bit cynical (or maybe pessimistic is a better word) world view to always assume that a bad situation is the result of a plan to exploit people, as opposed to for example a very prevalent idea in the population. But then where did that idea come from...
Anyway, I have a tendency to be naive and think the best of people. So I do appreciate a more cynical view too, even though I might be hesitant to agree right away.
Haha yeah, where does that idea often come from indeed! I get where you’re coming from, though :) I guess I also frequently tend to think of Hanlon’s razor when bad situations arise, even though it is an adage that could definitely be considered quite cynical as well, but still, there’s certainly some truth to it!: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by mere incompetence.” :D
Tara wrote: "Haha yeah, where does that idea often come from indeed! I get where you’re coming from, though :) I guess I also frequently tend to think of Hanlon’s razor when bad situations arise, even though it..."That's a nice one. Giving people the benefit of the doubt, in a way... :p
