Chomsky explains thinking for oneself

When God was handing out brains Chomsky heard him say 'brains' and didn't go to buy a ticket.

Great tribute to Chomsky and great advice from him on thinking for oneself:

"Don't take assumptions for granted. Begin by taking a skeptical attitude toward anything that is conventional wisdom. Make it justify itself. It usually can't. Be willing to ask questions about what is taken for granted. Try to think things through for yourself. There is plenty of information. You have got to learn how to judge, evaluate and compare it with other things. You have to take some things on trust or you can't survive. But if there is something significant and important don't take it on trust. As soon as you read anything that is anonymous you should immediately distrust it." [Emphasis mine. - J]

Great example of Ameri-centric bias in our media:

"If you read in the newspapers that Iran is defying the international community, ask who is the international community? India is opposed to sanctions. China is opposed to sanctions. Brazil is opposed to sanctions. The Non-Aligned Movement is vigorously opposed to sanctions and has been for years. Who is the international community? It is Washington and anyone who happens to agree with it. You can figure that out, but you have to do work. It is the same on issue after issue."

And on his disdain for liberal intellectuals, who enable the brutalization of our politics:

"I don't bother writing about Fox News. It is too easy. What I talk about are the liberal intellectuals, the ones who portray themselves and perceive themselves as challenging power, as courageous, as standing up for truth and justice. They are basically the guardians of the faith. They set the limits. They tell us how far we can go. They say, 'Look how courageous I am.' But do not go one millimeter beyond that. At least for the educated sectors, they are the most dangerous in supporting power."

Noam Chomsky Has 'Never Seen Anything Like This'
By Chris Hedges
April 19, 2010 | truthdig

URL: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/noam_chomsky_has_never_seen_anything_like_this_20100419/