How did Chomsky understand Foucault?

Chomsky argued human nature was real, and identified it with innate structures of the human mind, consistent with his theory of universal grammar. Foucault explained the same phenomena by reference to human social structures. Foucault replied to this by questioning the basis of such theories.

What is Foucault’s concept of power?

Foucault uses the term ‘power/knowledge’ to signify that power is constituted through accepted forms of knowledge, scientific understanding and ‘truth’: ‘Truth is a thing of this world: it is produced only by virtue of multiple forms of constraint.

How does Foucault’s concept of power differ from that of Chomsky?

Chomsky speaks of class justice, while Foucault speaks of class power. For Foucault, the idea of justice … has been invented and put to work in different types of societies as an instrument of a certain political and economic power or as a weapon against that power.

What did Chomsky and Foucault disagree on?

What is our role in social justice as applied sociologists? In this great debate from 1971, Michel Foucault and Noam Chomsky disagree about the fundamental qualities of “human nature” and the key task of social science in helping humanity achieve its collective potential.

What languages does Chomsky speak?

English
Hebrew
Noam Chomsky/Languages
As far as I know, Dr Chomsky is only fluent in English, and perhaps Hebrew. Most linguists are only fluent in a very small number of languages. If their native language is English, and they do most of their research on English, they may well only know English.

What was Foucault’s theory?

In his 1975 book Discipline and Punish, Foucault argued that French society had reconfigured punishment through the new “humane” practices of “discipline” and “surveillance”, used in new institutions such as prisons, the mental asylums, schools, workhouses and factories.

What is the difference between Skinner and Chomsky’s views on language acquisition?

Chomsky believes that language is biologically inherited whereas Skinner’s theory is based on how a child learns how to talk through the use of positive reinforcement from adults who already speak a language fluently. Through the child repeating the sound it will develop until it becomes a recognisable word.

Is Chomsky bilingual?

As far as I know, Dr Chomsky is only fluent in English, and perhaps Hebrew. Most linguists are only fluent in a very small number of languages. If their native language is English, and they do most of their research on English, they may well only know English.

What is the Chomsky-Foucault debate?

The Chomsky–Foucault debate was a debate about human nature, between Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault in the Netherlands, in November 1971. Chomsky and Foucault were invited by the Dutch philosopher Fons Elders to discuss an age-old question: “is there such a thing as ‘innate’ human nature independent…

What is the difference between Noam Chomsky and Foucault’s human nature theory?

Chomsky and Foucault assumed opposing viewpoints on the question. Chomsky argued human nature was real, and identified it with innate structures of the human mind, consistently with his theory of universal grammar. Foucault explained the same phenomena by reference to human social structures .

What is Chomsky’s view on theory construction?

For example, while acknowledging that it would be futile to try to accurately predict the nature of a post-revolutionary society, Chomsky maintained that it still is worthwhile to engage in the task of theory construction.

What is power according to Noam Chomsky?

Power is vested in a minority of owners and managers while the working majority have no real control over the operation of the corporation. According to Chomsky, such institutions gain their power from the domination of market forces in what he saw were the inegalitarian societies of the West.