Understanding Power

The Indispensable Chomsky

Paperback, 416 pages

English language

Published Feb. 1, 2002 by New Press.

ISBN:
978-1-56584-703-3
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OCLC Number:
56674913

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5 stars (13 reviews)

Noam Chomsky remains one of our preeminent public intellectuals, a thinker whose works on international politics and the media are read worldwide. In Understanding Power, Peter Mitchell and John Schoeffel have assembled the best of Chomsky’s talks on the politics of power.

In a series of enlightening and wide-ranging discussions, all published here for the first time, Chomsky radically interprets the events of the late twentieth century, covering topics from foreign policy during Vietnam to the attacks on welfare under the Clinton administration. And as he elucidates the connection between America’s imperialistic foreign policy and the decline of domestic standards of living, Chomsky also establishes a theory of social change. Featuring his classic criticisms of media in capitalist society, as well as U.S. foreign and domestic policy, Understanding Power offers a sweeping critique of the world around us and is the definitive Chomsky.

Characterized by Chomsky’s accessible and informative style, …

17 editions

Review of 'Understanding Power' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is the first time I read Chomsky. The book is a collection of his talks, given in several locations and dates around the U.S. It presents a pretty comprehensive and down to earth overview of his ideas: political, social, economical and philosophical.
I agree with lots of his thoughts, and feel inspired to look for more of his work to deepen my understanding of his ideas. He spouses a left wing libertarian view, sometimes characterised as anarcho-syndicalism, which nI find myself instinctively agreeing with very often.
This book has provided me with a lot of ideas and questions to focus my work and future endeavours on. Mainly the idea that we should strive to empower regular people over their lives and work. Resisting the dehumanising and profit driven monster that threatens the destruction of our environment.
I also found it pretty uncanny how he almost predicted the current political …

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Subjects

  • Political and social views
  • Chomsky, Noam

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