Editor's note This book was compiled from interviews David Barsamian conducted with Noam Chomsky on December 6, 1993 and February 1, April 11 and May 2, 1994. I organized the material into (what I hope are) coherent topics and removed -- as much as possible -- the repetition that inevitably crops up in widely spaced interviews like these. Then I sent the result to Chomsky and Barsamian for final corrections and changes.
Barsamian's questions appear in this typeface. Phoned-in questions from radio listeners appear in the same typeface, but in italics.
We've tried to define terms and identify people that may be unfamiliar the first time they're mentioned. These explanatory notes are also in this typeface and appear [inside square brackets]. If you run across a term or name you don't recognize, check the index for the first page on which it appears.
Since many readers of Chomsky's books come away from them feeling overwhelmed and despairing, the last section of this book, called
What you can do, contains a list of 144 organizations worth investing energy in. [Note: That section is not yet available in the on-line version of this book.]
The interviews this book is based on were broadcast as part of Barsamian's Alternative Radio series, which is heard on 100 stations in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia. Alternative Radio has tapes and transcripts of hundreds of other Chomsky interviews and talks, and ones by many other fascinating speakers as well. For a free catalog, call 303 444 8788 or write 2129 Mapleton, Boulder CO 80304.
Noam Chomsky was born in Philadelphia in 1928. Since 1955, he's taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he became a full professor at the age of 32. A major figure in twentieth-century linguistics, he's also written many books on contemporary issues.
Chomsky's political talks have been heard, typically by standing-room-only audiences, all over the country and the globe, and he's received countless honors and awards. In a saner world, his tireless efforts to promote justice would have long since won him the Nobel Peace Prize.
Arthur Naiman
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