Noam Chomsky and the Manufacturing of American Dissent: 2 videos

[Jan Klimkowski]

Machine translation for intelligence purposes. This why the Air Force etc funded him.

Roy Lisker, “Is Language a ‘Language’ Language? On the Analytic Systems of Noam Chomsky and Heinrich Schenker,” Steamshovel Press, #5, (Summer 1992), p.71:

The celebrated radical activist Noam Chomsky initially obtained his research monies (and for all I know still does) from the US Army Signal Corps, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Office of Naval Research. These enormous humanitarian foundations were interested in uncovering grammatical flaws applicable to all languages because this might save time and effort in the design of computer software for language translation. That might help them to know what our enemies were up to so we could murder them first.

Not as romantic or uplifting as Jan's generous interpretation of Chomsky's motivation, I concede, but far more germane, I can't help thinking.

If Chomsky did indeed accept research monies from the above military agencies, then it would be important to look at the detail of the proclaimed research aims contained in the relevant grant papers.

At the broad level, Chomsky's innate or "universal grammar" was a direct challenge to the Behaviourist school, exemplified by hardcore nutcases such as BF Skinner. It is the Behaviourist school whose theories provided the "intellectual" underpinning of programmes such as MK-ULTRA and the shock therapy of the likes of Cameron and Heath.

"Pure science" - such as an attempt to discover an innate grammar - is expensive and attracting funding is often difficult. Once complete, Chomsky's universal grammar was published in peer-reviewed journals, and thus was completely public domain.

None of that justifies taking military money.

So, yes, I agree that it is surprizing that Chomsky would have taken military money to fund (or part fund) his language research - if the claim above can be substantiated.