Noam Chomsky on Technology and Military Research

Source: • Noam Chomsky: Driving ...

[@drjohnsmith5282]

Costs nationalised, profits privatised - modern 'free markets' in a nutshell.

[@Brt667]

One may not always agree with Chomsky's conclusions or biases, but you can always count on the man to help you navigate through the deceitful power structures and teach you to think for yourself.

[@AymanB]

That's precisely his goal. Give you the facts as best he can. Let you make up your own mind.

[@Leinja]

"Iorweth, a regular son of a whore!"

[@sigueasi1]

Good bless this man

[@richbright540]

This being is a national treasure!!

[@dreamindreamoutnow9151]

Thanks.

[@heyman8845]

My question is would the internet have ever came to be if it was left to private companies to look down the well and day that's where we have to invest all of our money.

[@stevenkennedy9451]

Chomsky please adopt me

[@DrStrategiess]

From heaven..

[@TheCarrifaery]

WOW!

[@TheCarrifaery]

this is a piece of history i was seriously missing out on. holy freaking cow.

[@WilliamSilversmith]

Chomsky is always so good at explaining this. I wonder why the other panelists look so pissed at him lol

[@brucey5232]

You mean we could have had the internet in the 1980s! fuck me.

[@brianparent]

Well, I'm definitely censored now after talking about Congressman James Traficant.

[@jamesboulger8705]

Why is that the guy pointing at him ?

[@briankim3472]

Here comes a point in which many new or young Chomsky followers, I assume, disagree with him. While Chomsky has been critical of the military industry and has worked as an anti-war activist for his entire life, as a scientist, he participated in researches funded either by the DoD or by military contractors, and he acknowledges how outcomes from those researches can contribute to technological development and the betterment of our society. While he points out how the "free market" model of development is farcical and in reality states protect businesses and corporations from competition via various means of state intervention, including research funds, and the benefits are not shared by the population but monopolized by a handful of corporations, he doesn't necessarily oppose to state's support of universities and research projects, including those funded by DoD.

[@briankim3472]

I think future researchers will find more about Chomsky's nuanced approach to state's role in development of science and technology. For instance, when he was at MIT, he for several times defended faculties who were ex-CIA members, from student activists' campaign against them. He also voted against some cancellations of military researches, even though he in principle opposed to the military industry.

[@noobermin]

Anarchists forget they are anarchists.

[@stevenkennedy9451]

I wouldnt assume that. The one thing I have disagreed with him on is his conclusion on foreign intervention in our elections

[@stevenkennedy9451]

Also Chomsky is an anarcho syndicalist....

[@richbright540]

United States Taxpayers invested trillions for Research n Development !! All Ideas and Creations conceived/developed by a State or Federal Agency is Owned by the Investors Taxpayers!! Remedy ? The State/Federal Government (sells)-(gifts) these taxdollar created products to Corporations, Individuals! The Investors are entitled to fair compensation and return!! The Taxpayers bear the initial cost!!!

[@PavelKrupets]

Research paid by taxpayers where lots of companies can use it later to build products and compete who's the best is a better option to large companies doing research and keeping it to themselves. Most people don't care about fundamental research but this research moves human kind forward, increases productivity, opens new area, find solutions to problems we had in the past and creates new problems. And finally as with native americans vs europe if you lag in development you future is very bleak. USA is not the only country on the planet nor humankind is the only sentient spieces in the universe.

[@PavelKrupets]

@@fuaadmohamed7926 Could be. But if you decide on species survival strategy you should consider the fact that we aren't alone and not all aliens are hippies like in Star Trek. IMHO odds we are alone in the universe given how tenacious life is are worse than one person winning all lotteries on earth (no failed guesses)

[@PavelKrupets]

@Dara Marc Sasmaz Not to few. Public research is available to everybody in the world: scientists, people, corporations.

[@PavelKrupets]

@Dara Marc Sasmaz not sure where are you from or how many startups have you started but you need to visit west coast USA. Startups compete with large corporatuons in a very single manner. They are faster don't have huge % of workforce talking about work-life balance and not having such a huge inertia as large corporations. All famous companies in thr west coast used to be startups at some point. Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google, etc.

[@PavelKrupets]

@Dara Marc Sasmaz Large corporations rarely innovate. Their job is to make product cheaply, do not upset existing customer base with radical changes (unless they don't have hardly any customer base, like Apple before iPhone) and make money. So people can reinvest. 90% of innovatiins by large corporations is done by them aquiring startups.

[@PavelKrupets]

@Dara Marc Sasmaz Some things are very expensive. That is true. That's why we have large companies who employ 100's of thousands of people (soon it will be many millions). Large companies and small startups all have their place, like in nature wolfs and deer have their place no matter how much people cry about poor bambies killed by wolfes. Patent system is more beneficial for smaller companies. Large companies can live without it. They will use know-how system and industrial espionage which small companies couldn't afford.

[@PavelKrupets]

I am from USSR originally and don't think much about left ideas. Fixing problems by redistributing isn't the only option. Having healthy economy with lots of jobs is another and IMHO a better option. Even among birds free food in birdfeeders invites aggressive / bullying birds imagine what will happen with humans. Check what happens in countries which recieve aid. Few individuals get all of the help and keep most for themselves and use it as power leverege. Also there is no insentive to work. Why? Wait a bit and help will arrive. I am not against helping people who ended up in bad situatuon (disaster, etc.) but help must be enough to make this person be able to start his normal life not become dependent on help.

[@natureabioros8686]

Pavel Krupets Real leftism involves democratizing, not just transfers of wealth within liberal democracies. To many leftists, the USSR was a prime example of state capitalism, i.e. not socialism. Socialism is worker control of the means of production, not a totalitarian, imperialistic state dominating and exploiting the people and workers.

[@natureabioros8686]

Pavel Krupets Workers have the value they create taken from them by property owners, so policies like labor unions, minimum wage, welfare, universal services, etc. are giving back the value the workers to create to the workers that created it in addition to those who need the wealth the most. These programs have been shown through studies to be effective at reducing relative poverty, and aren’t necessarily conflicting with a healthy economy. During the Golden Age of Growth in Sweden, even before the establishment of the Swedish Welfare state, income inequality was drastically reduced through large, powerful trade unions and collective bargaining, all while Sweden had one of the fastest growing economies in Europe.

[@toddstevens8506]

Begs the question how can we have a healthy economy with lots of jobs when huge dollars are being siphoned off by a small sliver of the population to be traded amongst themselves?

[@PavelKrupets]

@@toddstevens8506 No different for social systems. Instead of dollars in USSR stores had double entries. For commoners there was a front door with not much in store, for select few there was a backdoor with lots of goodies. People should stop saying "don't do politics, it is only for lousy people". Politics from Greek means "affairs of the cities". So it affects everybody, and it can be dangerous business if stakes are high. Well more people should actively give a shit and things will be different.

[@PavelKrupets]

@@toddstevens8506 also don't concentrate too much on some have a lot of $. People like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk they dared to create something and succeeded (many have failed doing similar stuff). They did create successful companies and those provide 100'000 of jobs. Go and dare Todd. You might also succeed.