Buddhagem Speaks with Noam Chomsky on May Day, 2009 (3/4)

David Buccola (Buddhagem) interviews Noam Chomsky on May Day
About labor history and anarchism.

May 1st, 2009, at his MIT office, Cambridge, Mass.

Recorded by David Buccola, Charngchi Way
Edited by Charngchi Way

Special thanks to Bev Stohl, and Professor Noam Chomsky

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• Noam
• Chomsky
• Buddhagem
• May
• Day
• labor
• history
• workers
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• anarchism

[colibri1]

That bit about the Ayn Rand/Objectivist Foundation propaganda forming the curricula in US schools right now is alarming. That's really horrible and makes the future here seem even bleaker than it already does.

[likeaslowburn]

the Ayn Rand philosophy scares me

[fede2]

i read some of rand's work. it's actually quite impressive. although i'm more of a chomsky man, i got plenty out of her work. she has a comittment to rationality that is admiralbe. i'm a philosophy student and i see holes all over the place in her's but i agree with her fundamental premises when it comes to ethics. i do think, ultimately, though, individualism is reconciliable with social anarchism or libertarian socialism.

she sets the bar pretty high for intellectual integray, i'd say.

[Tuppington]

That used to be a reason to protest, back in the day. Shays' Rebellion for example, was poor American farmers protesting debt. It was crushed by a private militia, ironically, to prevent "a state of anarchy."

[willwkrueger]

the reason why Americans don't take to the streets is because they're all in debt

[peterfdrucker]

Ayn Rand is required reading in some high schools!? Wow.

[lordennis01]

That is a matter of personal judgement I think, however since the enlightenment there have been a set of elementary moral principles that have been set, namely those of individuality and freedom from coercion. Back then it was things like Monarchy and the Church that they apposed as being illegitimate, now, I believe Chomsky is right on this (though he didn't make it up), they are the Business and corporate entities.

[lordennis01]

You are very right, but there are striking similarities with their moral philosophy, namely that of individuality. I have not read much of Ayn Rand, so I hesitate to comment more.

[sundrifts]

Adam Smith and Ayn Rand couldn't be more different. Smith is, quite obviously, pre-capitalist.

[catgumart]

I'd like to pose one question...What is "legitimate and what is "illegitimate" and who is the judge? Isn't anything that is a construct of humans able to be legitimized or illegitimized ? A mountain is totally "legit"...but things designated by humans like arbitrary borders, or systems of government isn't it subjective...What makes something legitimate or illegitimate?

[silverbackman]

Well in a sense the reason why big business is so out of control is due to government.....big businesses get special privileges that even individual human beings don't have. It's not so much about businesses itself......even in an ideal libertarian socialist society there will be room for a free market as long as exploitation and the capitalist class is eliminated. States too are ultimately illegitimate entities, though I suppose we should make them work for us if they are to exist.

[catgumart]

When I say "they are not a separate entity" I mean they are not separate entities from humanity, they are comprised of us people, I did not mean that the government and business are totally one, but maybe there is some truth to the business and government being one entity or continuum of power.