I'd find it hard to call Chomsky one. He's a genius in linguistics... but beyond that? His passionate support of the Khmer Rouge and their specific actions in the "Killing Fields" and the rest of his extreme hardline left-fascist views. Sorry, a man who wants to see the free world turned into something like the USSR at the time of Gorbachev is hardly a deep thinker at all.
I'm not a big Chomsky supporter, either (though I do give him some cred for his holding President Obama to the same standards as Bush), but I think that BB Idaho's point here was probably that he was knowledgeable and not so much that he was sane or cogent. I could be wrong.
It was easier to be a polymath back in Aristotle/Da Vinci days: the knowledge fields were pretty narrow. We all have our favorite polymaths, I guess. I liked Bronowski, Azimov and Sagan although they were science types dabbling afield.
Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteHayek is listed as a polymath of the 20th century. But then, so is
ReplyDeleteChomskey....
Might I add Bertrand Russell, Karl Popper, and Jacob Bronowski?
ReplyDeleteI'd find it hard to call Chomsky one. He's a genius in linguistics... but beyond that? His passionate support of the Khmer Rouge and their specific actions in the "Killing Fields" and the rest of his extreme hardline left-fascist views. Sorry, a man who wants to see the free world turned into something like the USSR at the time of Gorbachev is hardly a deep thinker at all.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big Chomsky supporter, either (though I do give him some cred for his holding President Obama to the same standards as Bush), but I think that BB Idaho's point here was probably that he was knowledgeable and not so much that he was sane or cogent. I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteChomsky comes across as a mirror image of Lew Rockwell. Respected and loved by the a passionate but tiny fringe.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I would say that both of those fellows are exceedingly extreme, paranoiac, etc.. Total agreement.
ReplyDeleteIt was easier to be a polymath back in Aristotle/Da Vinci days: the knowledge fields were pretty narrow. We all have our favorite polymaths, I guess. I liked Bronowski, Azimov and Sagan although they were science types
ReplyDeletedabbling afield.