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Background
Noam Chomsky is an an American linguistic and philosopher, born in Philadelphia on December 7, 1928. Chomsky was raised in a middle class but, was not hidden from the harsh realities of life such as the great depression. Even so, it was clear that Chomsky was intelligent, writing a paper about fascism in Europe at age 10, which would be the basis for a presentation he would give in the future at the University of New York. Eventually, he would earn his Ph. D from the University of Pennsylvania. -
Chomsky's Works
Throughout his life Chomsky has worked on a variety of fields such as psychology and linguistics, as well as being a political activist (Good Therapy). From his experience and education, Chomsky has been able to publish over 100 books in the literary field, and has continued to attend and hold debates. His most notable work however, is given to his attributions to the field of linguistics in cognitive science, linking language to being a human biological factor and capability. -
Language and Humans
Chomsky believed that humans were already born with the capacity to realize the "generative grammars that constitute every human language" (Famous Scientists). This went against the theories of other famed psychologists like B.F Skinner, whom stated that humans were born with a blank mind and learned language through mimicry. Chomsky later published “The Logical Structure of Linguistic Theory" in 1975, with later cognitive science studies showing support for the theories he had stated. -
Chomsky's Contributions
Chomsky's contributions to philosophy are great, through his studies, he was able to introduce new theories and debunk theories of other's such as B.F' Skinner's thoughts on behaviorism. By studying and learning using rational philosophy he not only proved others wrong, but backed up his own claims with actual scientific research. Without Chomsky's ideas, humans could potentially still believe in theories that do not use rationalism , but rather use empiricism as a basis for its research. -
Video Explanation
Noam Chomsky himself gives an explanation as to his theory of language development.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3U6MsdBalg
