Noam Chomsky interview on Language and Knowledge (1977)

Linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology transformed the nature of linguistics before he was 40. In this program with world-renowned author and professor Bryan Magee, the outspoken Chomsky challenges accepted notions of the way in which language is learned, examines the relationship of language to experience, and discusses the philosophical nature of knowledge.
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This is from the series Modern Philosophy.
Watch the other episodes here:
Introduction to Philosophy with Isaiah Berlin: • Isaiah Berlin intervie...
Herbert Marcuse interview: • Herbert Marcuse interv...
Heidegger and Existentialism: • Heidegger and Existent...
Wittgenstein's Philosophy: • The Philosophy of Witt...
Logical Positivism: • Logical Positivism wit...
Linguistic Philosophy: • Linguistic Philosophy ...
Willard Van Orman Quine interview: • Willard Van Orman Quin...
Philosophy of Language with John Searle: • John Searle interview ...
Noam Chomsky interview: • Noam Chomsky interview...
Philosophy of Science: • The Philosophy of Scie...
Philosophy and Politics: • Philosophy and Politic...
Philosophy and Literature with Iris Murdoch: • Philosophy and Literat...
The Social Context of Philosophy: • The Social Context of ...

[@ManufacturingIntellect]

Join us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/ManufacturingIntellect Donate Crypto! commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/868d67d2-1628-44a8-b8dc-8f9616d62259 Share this video!

[@DowntownsUptown]

Simple wordplay, or do actually hold Chomsky and his ilk in contempt? Re: "Manufacturing Intellect"

[@michaelcollins7738]

Brian McGee - a brilliantly informed interviewer with an unsurpassed technique to assist his audience's understanding.

[@JohnnyTaxonomy]

*Bryan Magee

[@ally11488]

Great to see Chomsky being interviewed by an intelligent person.

[@richardbroderick6904]

the deep state of absurdity in the tired groupthink treading water in the shallow sea of disunderstanding. Slinging uptight nonsense through a boring repetition of cliched and closeminded beliefs and biases

[@dpersonal4187]

@@richardbroderick6904 Exactly. Everyone should do a search on "chomsky gatekeeper" and see for themselves.

[@samhathy2416]

He has been incredibly critical of Israeli foreign policy. Don't understand really where you can form this conclusion.

[@aeris2001]

@@dpersonal4187 go away you dirty troll

[@dpersonal4187]

@@aeris2001 Thank you for displaying how you Chomskybots are all about insults and abuse - a defining characteristic of z-ism itself. Helps prove my point about the gatekeeper Chomsky.

[@xiaofeng9949]

Rarely if ever do I see an interview at this level nowadays. Thoroughly, enjoyed this interview.

[@arnabdas4322]

Awwww, I was just about to write that. :)

[@blicky2blacky]

Agreed, its also rare to see Chomsky interviewed by someone who understands Chomskys work and so is able to progress the discussion with insight enducing questions

[@craigmurdock4740]

you CLEARLY have not watched the Joe Rogan Podcast then!

[@Burtifly]

@@craigmurdock4740 BAHAHA! 😁👍

[@parthjackson189]

@@craigmurdock4740 lmao

[@TorgoFraNorgo]

This is the best Chomsky interview I’ve ever seen. I wish it was twice as long. I wanted them to get into those technical details!

[@mubashrasattar4260]

Quarantine day 25 spent well.

[@patavinity1262]

You watched a 44 minute video repeatedly for an entire day?

[@whatshisname3304]

@@patavinity1262 i watched it for 5 months and did nt sleep. i love Bellevue.

[@blicky2blacky]

I've rewatched this many times too. Learning more so how much I missed in the initial listenings! Your comment is a good one.

[@dpersonal4187]

Too bad our dear Noam is a gatekeeper. Do a search on "Chomsky gatekeeper" and see for yourself.

[@yourway382]

@@dpersonal4187 OMG!

[@feelwang]

The way Noam speaks or he composes his sentences is art.

[@dobekhil]

He is literally the father of linguistics.

[@kenneld]

"Composes" is a good way of putting it. He's very deliberate. Any time he seems like he's stumbling for words he comes up with gold.

[@joeymurdazalotmore6355]

This genius is still alive circa dec 2022. There will be no replacing him

[@jakiyahcabell]

his bday is tomorrow too! what a blessing to have him here!

[@mounirfed4163]

Real genius. watched this video more than 100 times and still inspiring. Every time I do so, I learn new things. Great man.

[@sofanr3]

Brilliant, and now classic, interview. From about 14.30 Chomsky talks about rigid constraints as being essential for creativity (i.e. language). Note how he is somewhat reluctant to speculate about language evolution - and rightly so. Magee is probably the best interviewer that Chomsky has ever encountered. Chomsky himself is brilliant as usual.

[@TheMattTempest]

There is not one single "Er....", from either man, here. Incredible.

[@MrAnperm]

Would another example of constraint be a visual artist's media, such as 'paint'? To follow this idea I suppose the art (creative act) of 'painting' relies on the constraint of the physical media; paint on a surface.

[@YodasPapa]

@@MrAnperm Yes absolutely. And not just the physical limitations. Artists througout history have used more-or-less self-imposed limitations as a catalyst for creativity. Making modern music also reveals the same effect. You can make almost any sound these days so you actually have to impose constraints on yourself as a composer in order to give your work form.

[@MrAnperm]

@@YodasPapa Ah, yes.

[@terryyakamoto3488]

chomsky's use of words is astounding, i bet hes fuc#ing brilliant at scrable

[@hopebringer2348]

You left this comment a year ago on a niche video. I just wanna say that it's great

[@infinite1483]

He's a linguist he'd probably be great at it

[@ymaaw3735]

And strangely, he always emphasises later on to use simple speech to get your points across. He criticises the use of "multi-syllabic" in an attempt to sound profound, and instead to keep it simple. Quite an interesting intellectual of his calibre to think that.

[@baronvonbeandip]

@@hopebringer2348 I kinda hate that this could be considered a niche video.

[@hopebringer2348]

@@baronvonbeandip When I watched it, it had like 10k views

[@The12hugo]

I’m glad to be a contemporary of this man

[@austenhead5303]

These awful times of horrific regression do have a few highlights.

[@stevencoardvenice]

Bertrand Russell is good too

[@luckyducki]

Pure intelligence at work. Professor Chomsky puts these notions into words so masterfully, it's so utterly enjoyable to learn from him. I'm so glad we get to.

[@CollinwoodGirl7]

What a refreshing gem to stumble upon. A seasoned interviewer sitting with a great mind/ 20th century philosopher.

[@dannypringle3799]

McGee's questions are masterful

[@shabirmagami146]

wow!! what mind....sublime ....Chomsky is something else ....what insights!!! great interview ...thank you for sharing

[@MrLee-oj6oz]

Fantastic! big love from Mx 🇲🇽 ❤

[@ethericboy]

Of course we are predisposed towards learning language!

[@hirotakakawano7212]

The concept of universal grammar Noam Chomsky put forward not only leads to an innovative understanding of linguistics, ideas, philosophy, history and science , but also to an understanding of human nature, value of existence, and the distinction between humans and other living things.

[@brucetutton7897]

Massive thanks for this HD version. Stupendous interview.

[@ramjua9462]

When I started my phd it took me a while to realize Chomsky linguist and Chomsky political theoretician were one and the same.

[@juniorgee7297]

SO THIS GUY IS ONLY IN THEORY?

[@stevenhines5550]

The way he expounds on the complex evolution of liberalism from von Humboldt to the modern era is so....I don't have the words. It's astonishing. It upends all if the indoctrination and propaganda I have been forced to absorb. In itself it is liberating and almost nourishing. In three minutes he succinctly presents how and even why liberalism has been co-oped so thoroughly as to be unrecognizable, incoherent and neutered by the fascists. It's a reminder that the classical liberalism never anticipated - couldn't have possibly - transnational corporate control. That he does that as an addendum to demolishing Behaviorism and in a context of bringing cognitive science under the purview of biology is the most profound and significant thing I have ever heard. What a fantastic interview and great interviewer. It's refreshing to listen to someone ask the right questions and listen to the answers. In other words, to hear someone genuinely interested in questions about what Chomsky thinks. We all know Chomsky is profound but none of his interviewers ever let him express why. Rather they ask the wrong questions or try to make him go in the defensive because he has the temerity to go outside the lines of his academic discipline. It's like asking a physician to refrain from commenting on the health implications of poverty because he isn't a trained sociologist.

[@dobekhil]

It's so real and poetic and sad that once again, in our history, humans have yet again ignored the best of us. The best. The 🐐.

[@alexdavinci9533]

Prof. Magee's books on Schopenhauer and Richard Wagner are both excellent.

[@lifecoach-muenchen1917]

great interview!

[@gayatrigovalvanshinanda6921]

It's always a treat to listen Noam Chomsky and what better than an interview.

[@uncljoedoc]

The limitations that Chomsky describes reminds me of Herbert Spencer who analyzed religion has having a universal property of being a way to cognize the "unknowable".

[@tristanhurley9071]

Joe Ferrara MD as having a universal property or being a universal property?

[@uncljoedoc]

Properties are not substances

[@kaneaster4]

@@uncljoedoc But substances can have properties?

[@michaeldebellis4202]

Recent work in Evolutionary Psychology supports an alternative hypothesis. The book In Gods We Trust by Scott Atran starts off with a mind blowing list of all the costly (in an evolutionary sense: time, food, body parts,...) sacrifices religious rituals require from hunter gatherer tribes. Since religion seems to exist before organized civilization the obvious question is why did it persist if it was so costly from the standpoint of evolution? The obvious answer is that it provided some evolutionary benefit to hunter gatherer tribes. Being able to understand the unknowable is not an evolutionary advantage. The hypothesis that Atran (and others, Pascal Boyer's book Religion Explained makes the same argument) propose is that religion provided a way to support the identity, unity, and rule following for HG tribes. This would have an evolutionary advantage making tribes with religion more resilient, fiercer in battle, more altruistic to each other in times of scarcity, etc. This hypothesis isn't without issues, e.g., it seems to hinge on group selection which many biologists thing is problematic but I think it is closer to the real answer then the Spencer argument.

[@M3Lucky]

@@michaeldebellis4202 nah

[@krishnadaiya2788]

Amazing interview!

[@calimanduff]

I was so prepared to hear a youthful Chomsky speak since most lectures and interviews I’ve seen he’s sported grey hair. Turns out he’s sounded like a wise old man for a while 😂

[@ToddWrightthedrummer]

A gem of an interview. Thanks!

[@ngs8022]

Many thanks!

[@amitpurushottam5937]

Very Inspiring and Motivating.Thank You.

[@lavanyahm9965]

It's great to listen this conversation. Thank you

[@michaelutech4786]

i love this man so much. i wish he had another life time to stay with my children as a role model

[@CuriousCritter9]

Thank you for saying that, because that made me think that my father was in a sense like him. He was so well informed about science, philosophy, language, literature and art, and he was able to put it all together in a way one could understand. You could always go to him with anything, and he would have a wise and well-informed answer, always with the highest ethics in mind. He was a dentist by profession, so it was all accumulated during his spare time, but he spent that time well. I was so lucky to have such an intellectual capacity as my father. Now that he has passed there is a vast hole. I miss him a lot. :´-(

[@michaelutech4786]

@@CuriousCritter9 Thank you for this beautiful answer! I feel with you, both the joy and the sadness. I keep reading your description of your dad over and over again and write more but then delete it again. I hate that this sounds like condolences.

[@AVIJITDAS-ty4ki]

Helpful and effective discussion.

[@chandrashekharupadhyaya6530]

Excellent deliberation. Very useful to us 🙏

[@rulerfragnite7836]

Very informative, interesting session, Thank sir

[@jimblomqvist3055]

That is a great interview! Very interesting!

[@gorillajunkremoval6774]

He deserves it but I dont think that would happen in this polarized political environment.

[@manojkumarprabhubhaipatel5861]

Great interview.....

[@devarajuakil1068]

Nice lecture. Thank you

[@zakiafirdaus9358]

Interesting interview . Very relevant in the contemporary time

[@meghanadharne7438]

Helpful and effective discussion

[@Sarvebhavntusukhinah1111]

Very interesting session.

[@adithyaadiga85]

Language is not an isolated entity and a plethora of factors play crucial role in acquiring it in the society. Its a network of heterogeneous elements and in balancing them lies the success of using language in a effective manner. Very informative and thought provoking interview

[@raindogred]

Noam still going and still sharp as a tack. it seems he does at least one interview per day on various youtube channels

[@KTMGUNNER]

Every word this man speaks and uses when giving examples he could write multiple books on, his level of genius and connection of information and knowledge is unparalleled.

[@AnanyaSankarDebabhutiisthe]

Great to see u sir

[@jitendrakumarkharadi697]

very interesting session

[@ravidekani9300]

Good information 🙏

[@meghanadharne7438]

Helpful information thank you sir

[@dugfern]

Thanks for posting as it's very interesting.

[@roberthockett270]

What a beautiful mind and beautiful soul. In each of them, Bryan and Noam.

[@KeskinCookin]

He is a walking encyclopedia on language.

[@DS-yg4qs]

Hahah but still knows nothing important or crucial to understand it. The thing you see in him is just a bloody path of searching but no answers.

[@pookz3067]

mas pok whether he’s right or wrong, can find the answers or not, running with or reacting against his ideas led to literally every advance. In linguistics since Chomsky entered the scene. Literally every single result in the field, until more computational statistical methods came along, but those methods deal with entirely different questions.

[@prof.dr.jalpapatelaadhyapa2898]

Very informative

[@shobhaahirrao1866]

Great knowledge sr👍🙏

[@hansabensonara7765]

Great speech

[@vandanarami9574]

Very useful

[@archana_gamit]

enlightening interview

[@kamleshrabari6885]

this lecture is very good. chomsky's use of words is astounding, i bet hes fuc#ing brilliant

[@ramsinhparmar8658]

Nice presentation

[@hirjisinch973]

Thank You

[@Isaacmellojr]

49 year old Chomsky!

[@dr.srikant2251]

thank you

[@drtaraknathchattopadhyay1776]

Nice lecture

[@dr.ravikumaramp528]

Great sir

[@martinhanssen3603]

Very interesting i find myself asking the question about the difference between learned language and commucation as seen between animals. However the infant example seems to be the best way for me to understand it - i find it particularly interesting How we can learn language with such a lack of information.

[@brotigayen6858]

A topic which is always contemporary.

[@nehalpandya6095]

enjoyed video on interview

[@naughtykids8697]

Nice explanation

[@evermorevictorious2742]

Make a precis. List the important points. It would help everyone. This is the smart and effective way to spread enlightenment, intelligence and knowledge!

[@johnbarnett6924]

This reminds me of something I have called A Root Laungage Template. JOHN

[@ashokbaria1643]

Very good

[@dr.babasahebgore1665]

Thanks.

[@miklosdavid7627]

Extraordinary and sensationally rich context for further development which is infinite... E.g. at 14:40 they go into details of describing our pre-progammed thinking that determines our rigid way of perceiving things. In the technical terms both use there they give a proper picture of how and why people tend to believe in and totally accept dogmas that are presented to them. Yes, we can re-program our way of thinking but very few people do and very rarely.

[@sandyvogl3582]

Wow love it

[@mukeshmahale7281]

Interesting video

[@dr.harshad.j.chauhan1023]

Interesting topic

[@dr.namdevsodgir1117]

Very nice

[@moumitasarkar6895]

Inspirational

[@matsuda1994]

now watch the video again focusing only on Chomsky's right eyebrow

[@zacharybrown3010]

our right, chomsky's left

[@Earthneedsado-over177]

Right is wrong.

[@imavileone7360]

@@Earthneedsado-over177 hell yeah!

[@kimbatha3555]

His left eyebrow.

[@arieltaverner2002]

woah...

[@jamescarr4662]

even more left than his politics

[@__Andrew_]

This I love about KZbin commenters, I would never have noticed that (i listen to KZbin as radio most of the time)

[@trondirty]

that eyebrow has more intelligence than 90% of the human race

[@Creamy6oodness]

I can't stop looking at it. It's hypnotic

[@kinky_Z]

I would love to see Prof Chomsky receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom .... soon!!

[@andrearenee7845]

He is a great man. The world would be lonely if he were not in it.

[@Bizarro69]

Lonely is such a peculiar word to use.

[@Noahkk12]

awwwwwwe. I know :(

[@inspiregrow2336]

The legend himself 🔥

[@steviewax]

Noam Chomsky's contribution to the neurological and genetic structures of the brain and their link to our use of language will remain as a novel scientific principle for a long time. Concerning politics, as the philosopher Gurdjieff said, that news is the most superficial and corrupt form of knowledge because it changes every day, his contributions to politics while strong in protest of abuse of power for military growth, I do Not think will otherwise be apart of any evolution in political theory for a positive resolution, if there be such a resolution.

[@321ian]

how could they just leave us hanging at the end like that!?!

[@attilatoth4880]

Great !

[@hmgohilsanskrit937]

very good

[@aparnadas5277]

Useful

[@chopin65]

He took enormous risks when he first published on his revolutionary ideas. It stands to reason that when he suggests that language structures exist in the brain, that these neurons and synapses are a designated structure only to a certain extent. Oliver Sacks wrote extensively how in cases of stroke that the brain can compensate for damaged areas in cases where blindness occurred. My point of stroke cases is that there is a great deal of "plasticity" where the brain is involved. What about language in stroke cases?

[@Dogan979]

My father had a stroke which hit partially his "talking center". It was such a peculiar case that he knew the word he would like to say but couldnt articulate. He would instead write the word and read it aloud. A neurologist showed me on the map of the brain how this could be possible, with the damaged area and alternative routes etc. But eventually he was able to regain his ability which is supposed to be possible by training of the "neighbouring" neurons. I dont think we should be thinking about the brain as black or white in terms of plasticity or speciality. It’s full of gray areas. Maybe the name "gray matter" has something to do with it :-)

[@GizmoMaltese]

@@Dogan979 Wow, interesting story thanks for sharing. You might be interested in Capgras syndrome because it deal with the wiring of the brain. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqKleK2hr5aierc or alien hand syndrome kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnzQe2pjpdKBntk

[@michaeldebellis4202]

It is interesting to hear him talk about his early work. There is a youtube video from a series on the post-WWII environment at MIT where he talks about this. He literally couldn't get his ideas published in any of the linguistic journals at that time. So instead he submitted them to journals on computation and computer science. Actually (not that I am in any sense close to his league) when I watched this video it inspired me on my own work which I was also having trouble getting published in philosophy journals and I submitted (and got published) in a conference on semantics in computer science. It is one of the (many) things that I agree with Chomsky on: the divisions between academic disciplines are largely artificial and (as he says in another talk) "useful for department heads and journal editors but not that meaningful to science". Especially in what are called the "soft sciences" I find the best work always is multi-disciplinary. Chomsky's most recent linguistics book called Why Only Us? is a fascinating mixture of evolutionary theory, neruopsychology, cognitive science, mathematics, and of course linguistics.

[@freandwhickquest]

@@michaeldebellis4202 can you please explain which of your ideas had been rejected by philosophy journals and why?

[@karolinakuc4783]

Lera Borodicki wrote something about it in her books

[@user-di4wn9rk4y]

Informative interview about language and knowledge of Chomsky -Dr Virenkumar Pandya BDK ARTS AND COMMERCE COLLEGE GADHADA

[@rajan4915]

Indeed This video is pragmatic landslide exposure with empirical interpretation in spectacular sounds good fitting one. Incredible pretty nice for linguistic community.

[@drjajidevendrappa2762]

Fine sir

[@uverpro3598]

I like how Chomsky challenges natural selection when it comes to cognitive traits.

[@karunaahire7402]

Dr. Karuna D. Ahire -very good information

[@JS-xd3fx]

So many high pitch squeaks in Noam’s speech.

[@Intact-gf5zz]

A+/100.0%!! It's beautiful to be able to consume such amazing, high-level discourse as this. Had learned of Chomsky - embarrassed to say - but learned of him via political discourse and, having now begun to delve into his "true specialty" of linguistics (and, associatedly of course, 'consciousness'), am just beside myself with what this man had(HAS!!) to offer the world! The silly title of "beautiful mind" couldn't apply to anyone more insofar as I have ever seen (would LOVE replies / suggestions, of course!! Still read&love Dawkins' works on evolutionary biology and, hell, still hold an old-time love for Ayn Rand's prose/vocabulary, but insofar as TRUE thought is concerned- IE what anyone cares about most-deeply - I'm unable to think of a "2nd place" to Chomsky, even socially-conscious folk like Zinn are still worlds-behind C insofar as prowess-of-mind is concerned!)

[@cadenceenglish]

I think you'll love David foster Wallace

[@aaronchristopher71]

Quite apart from the subject matter being discussed - I’m digging Chomsky’s suit.

[@blicky2blacky]

Chomsky makes a strong account for how humans can give expression to a wide range of instances at a whim with creative force. This of course is true in academic principle and whence removed from the more diluted circumstance of everyday conversation where my want to elevate dialogue with regular friends onto deeper matters but I am brow bashed into silence for coming across weird or too serious. Yes, I can be appropriate but why is this discourse only appropriate in college where even free discourse is shrinking? Why are my natural endowments alienating me whilst the others at my table subdued and inhibited?

[@slivercord]

Agree man

[@kappaprimus]

I think it is contingent to the very tendencies that allow us to be creative at all. The countless systems that we have since created with our creativity impose upon our lives to such an extent that most of us take away from the experiences within human systems to not partake in their further extensions or alterations but simply be a part of them. Which is to say that most of us are only taught and shown that "participation" in the human creative systems is the right means to human existence and creativity, which when coupled with the amounts of control our society imposes upon us, leads to such a lacklustre disposition and aversion to active thinking.

[@masoodahmed5305]

Nice

[@nuggetoftruth-ericking7489]

Very intellectual.