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Colorless green ideas sleep furiously
After earning his PhD in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, Chomsky became a professor at MIT in 1955. Two years later he wrote the book "Syntactic Structures" which has since changed the way in which language is studied. In it, he shows how syntax (The arrangement of words in a sentence) is independent from semantics ( meaning in language). "Colorless green ideas sleep furiously" is a sentence he used to illustrate the divide.
Chomsky, Noam. "Syntactic Structures" (1957) -
Vietnam
As the Vietnam war started heating up, Chomsky became an outspoken critic of US involvement. In 1967 he released "The Responsibility of Intellectuals" which firmly established him as a public dissident. He became an activist during and after the war, supporting those that refused the draft, organizing sit-ins, and refusing to pay some taxes. During this time Chomsky's linguistic work continued to gain broad recognition.
Chomsky, Noam. "The Responsibility of Intellectuals." (1967) -
Manufacturing Consent
Chomsky continued his public dissidence, criticizing war and the abuses of government power for generally. In 1988 he co-authored Manufacturing Consent, a book that is perhaps his most popular outside of linguistics. In it, he describes how mainstream media act as propagandist's for those in power.
Chomsky, Noam. Herman, Edward. "Manufacturing Consent" (1988) -
Today
Today, Chomsky is one of the most cited scholars alive, with more than 100 books under his belt. In more recent years he has focused his activism on economic inequality. In his latest book, "Requiem for the American Dream", he lays out 10 principles that lead to the concentration of wealth and power. He is currently a professor at ASU where he teaches a linguistics course.
Chomsky, Noam. "Requiem for the American Dream." (2017)
