Noam Chomsky - Political biography

Here is a man who challenges thought manipulation more than anyone else. Not for him the easy option of playing the 'the things THEY haven't told you. His ego is not that small. He broadens the spectrum of accepted debate going into areas others don't. His contribution to having a better-informed society is immeasurable.

Chomsky's political views have changed little since his childhood, and he adopted the emphasis on political activism that was ingrained in Jewish working-class tradition.  He is usually characterized as an anarcho-syndicalist and/or a socialist libertarian. He views these positions not as precise political theories but as ideas which he thinks best meet the needs of humans: freedom, liberty and community, and association under the conditions of freedom.  Unlike some other socialists, such as those who acceptMarxism, Chomsky believes that politics lies outside the remit of science.of

The key thrust of much of Chomsky's political world-view is the idea that the truth about political realities are systematically distorted or suppressed through the manipulation of corporate interests and elites while his work has focused on revealing these manipulations. He believes that "common sense" is all that is required to break through the web of falsehood and see the truth if it is employed using both critical thinking skills and an awareness of the role that self-interest and self-deception create on both oneself and on others.

Although he had joined protest marches and organized activist groups, he identifies his primarily political outlet as being that of education, offering free lessons and lectures to encourage wider political consciousness. He is a member of the Campaign for Peace and Democracy and the Industrial Workers of the World international union. Chomsky is also a member of the interim consultative committee of the International Organization for a Participatory Society, which he describes as having the potential to "carry us a long way towards unifying the many initiatives here and around the world and molding them into a powerful and effective