Optimism over Despair

Posted on 07 January 2018 by Noam Chomsky

This volume offers readers a concise and accessible introduction to the ideas of Noam Chomsky, described by the New York Times as arguably the most important intellectual alive In these recent, wide ranging interviews, conducted for Truthout by C J Polychroniou, Chomsky discusses his views on the war on terror and the rise of neoliberalism, the refugee crisis and cracks in the European Union, prospects for a just peace in Israel Palestine, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the dysfunctional US electoral system, the grave danger posed to humanity by the climate crisis, and the hopes, prospects, and challenges of building a movement for radical change.Noam Chomsky is Institute Professor Emeritus in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT His work is widely credited with having revolutionized the field of modern linguistics He is the author of numerous best selling political works, which have been translated into scores of languages worldwide.C J Polychroniou is a regular contributor to Truthout as well as a member of Truthout s Public Intellectual Project He has published several books and his articles have appeared in a variety of journals, magazines, newspapers, and popular news websites. New Read Optimism over Despair Author Noam Chomsky For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr I have to admit that I did not read every word written in the book, but perhaps 60 70% of it, and I have no real burning desire to read anyThere seems to be two kinds of Chomsky books well constructed, meticulously researched and coherent books that focus on a particular topic issue, and then there is the type that we find here.This is a collection of transcribed interviews, and it is hard to recommend it It lacks the focus of many of his other books, and without references foot notes i I have to admit that I did not read every word written in the book, but perhaps 60 70% of it, and I have no real burning desire to read anyThere seems to be two kinds of Chomsky books well constructed, meticulously researched and coherent books that focus on a particular topic issue, and then there is the type that we find here.This is a collection of transcribed interviews, and it is hard to recommend it It lacks the focus of many of his other books, and without references foot notes it leaves the reader to trust Chomsky ...Brief debate with valuable insights on the contemporary issues of global politics and its declining hegemon With a clear resume We have two choices We can be pessimistic, give up, and help ensure that the worst will happen Or we can be optimistic, grasp the opportunities that surely exist, and mayb...If you re looking for a quick, insightful overview on the current state of US and world affairs, you could do worse than picking up this collection of recent interviews with Noam Chomsky, which covers a wide range of topics from the war on terror, immigration, capitalism, climate change, the refugee crisis, national healthcare, and muchThere s some repetition since some interviews and questions lead back to to overarching points, but they re all the kind that definitely bare repeating Th If you re looking for a quick, insightful overview on the current state of US and world affairs, you could do worse than picking up this collection of recent interviews with Noam Chomsky, which covers a wide range of topics from the war on terror, immigration, capitalism, climate change, the refugee crisis, national healthcare, and muchThere s...In one of the first modern works of political theory, David Hume observed that power is in the hands of the governed if they only choose to exercise it, and ultimately, it is by opinion only that is, by doctrine and propaganda that they are prevented from exercising power That can be overcome, and often has been JFK effectively shifted the mission of the Latin American military from hemispheric defense to internal security , a euphemism for war against the population Declassifi In one of the first modern works of political theory, David Hume observed that power is in the hands of the governed if they only choose to exercise it, and ultimately, it is by opinion only that is, by doctrine and propaganda that they are prevented from exercising power That can be overcome, and often has been JFK effectively shifted the mission of the Latin American military from hemispheric defense to internal security , a euphemism for war against the population Declassified STRATCOM documents state, That the US may become irrational and vindictive if its vital interests are attacked, should be a part of the national persona we project It is beneficial for our strategic posture if some elements m...The book does not offer optimism It is full of despair on all accounts Mr Chomsky does offer the readers a choice between pessimism and optimism, suggesting that it stands to reason that one should choose optimism, however, he lends no reason to favor the latter over the former The book a collection of interviews with Noam Chomsky, as published in the online Truthout site fails to ask a basic fundamental question when faced with such horrific man made disasters across the world what ca The book does not offer optimism It is full of despair on all accounts Mr Chomsky does offer the readers a choice between pessimism and optimism, suggesting that it stands to reason that one should choose optimism, however, he lends no reason to favor the latter over the former The book a collection of interviews with Noam Chomsky, as published in the online Truthout site fails to ask a basic fundamental question when faced with such horrific man made disasters across the world what can a common person do which could create a hope of meaningful change to this mess The book covers in detail how US is the greatest and...The State of the WorldThe book comprises a series of interviews gave by Noam Chomsky over the course of the last four years from late 2013 to early 2017 and originally published in Truthout The interviews were organized in three groups The first deals with capitalism and its social s consequences The second discusses american foreign policy and its intersections with the muslin word, Russia and climate change The third examines Chomsky s comprehension of anarchism, communism and democracy The State of the WorldThe book comprises a series of interviews gave by Noam Chomsky over the course of the last four years from late 2013 to early 2017 and originally published in Truthout The interviews were organized in three groups The first deals with capitalism and its social s consequences The second discusses american foreign policy and its intersections with the musl...The usual Chomsky with his view of the world with whom I agree, even because otherwise I wouldn t read his books My only question is why the title is optimism over despair when, after reading the book, despair overwhelms optimism by far.Il solito Chomsky con la sua visione del mondo, che io ovviamente condivido altrimenti non leggerei i suoi libri La mi unica domanda riguarda in effetti il titolo, considerato che dopo aver finito il libro la disperazione superava di gran lunga l ottimismo. The usual Chomsky with his view of the world with whom I agree, even because otherwise I wouldn t read his books My only question is why the title is optimism over despair when, after reading the book, despair overwhelms optimism by far.Il solito Chomsky con la sua visione del mondo, che io ovviamente condivido altrimenti non leggerei i suoi libri La mi unica domanda riguard...A nice summary on the views of one of the most influential public intellectuals of the 20th century The book is done in the form of an interview, which cover the main questions leading up to the 2016 elections, and the future of world politics The critique of contemporary capitalism, and the neoliberal free market economic system is well structured, and convincing, without being excessively complex There is a strong undertone in the book of lost hope, ironic as the book is called Optimism ov A nice summary on the views of one of the most influential public intellectuals of the 20th century The book is done in the form of an interview, which cover the main questions leading up to the 2016 elections, and the future of world politics The critique of contemporary capitalism, and the neoliberal...It s one of those Chomsky books that s mainly a collation of relevant interviews, some very recent to the book s publication date of 2017 It s refreshing to see that even though there may be various interviews spanning different periods there is a lot of consistency in Chomsky s thought and general scholarly directions He has investigated very deeply in the various topics he covers and it s always an enlightening read.As for the title Optimism over Despair , I d disagree I think the book ga It s one of those Chomsky books that s mainly a collation of relevant interviews, some very recent to the book s publication date of 2017 It s refreshing to see that even though there may be various interviews spanning different periods there is a lot of consistency in Chomsky s thought and general scholarly directions He has investigated very deeply in the various topics he covers and it s always an enlighteni...I considered giving this just 4 stars out of spite since there is exactly one paragraph of optimism in the entire book, and it s the final paragraph We have two choices We can be pessimistic, give up, and help ensure the worst will happen Or we can be optimistic, grasp the opportunities that sure...I have to agree with an earlier reviewer who felt after reading the book that optimism is less appropriate than despair at this point Still, Chomsky s assessment of where we are and how we got here is well worth reading.Easy reading but not very uplifting The optimism in the title is only titular Chomsky concludes his book of interviews by saying that choosing optimism is the only logical choice to make A philosopher s argument, yes, but not particularly warming Honest, though.We have two choices We can be pesimistic and give up and ensure the worst will happen Or we can be optimistic, grasp the opportunities that surely exist, and help make the world a better place.repetitive and uninspired organization.

English
07 January 2018

Noam Chomsky