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Birth & Childhood
Avram Noam Chomsky is born on December 7th, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Jewish immigrant parents. During his childhood, he develops an interest in left-wing politics and language, learning Hebrew in school. -
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Attending University
Chomsky attended the University of Pennsylvania where he studied general classes as well as Philosophy and language. He lacked motivation early on in school but was later persuaded to delve deeper into Linguistics. Six years later, Chomsky attended Harvard University and earned his Doctorate of Philosophy there. This video shows some of Chomsky's ideas on language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oJbh5m5SlI -
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Early Work & Anti-War Activism
Chomsky worked as an assistant professor at MIT. There he started a family and published his first book Syntactic Structures (1957), which was regarded as provocative and divisive work that went against mainstream ideas at the time. Over the years, Chomsky published more works and his notoriety grew, becoming a prolific figure in linguistic study. During this time and into the mid-'70s, he became outspoken against the war, refusing to pay taxes and being arrested for his civil disobedience. -
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Refining Ideas on Linquistics & Foreign Policy
Noam Chomsky continued work on his linguistic ideas by expanding on his earlier work. During this period, Chomsky became more vocal on US foreign policy, criticizing military involvement in Southeast Asia, and co-authored the book Counter-Revolutionary Violence: Bloodbaths in Fact & Propaganda (1973). Chomsky found himself mired in controversy during this time when he defended freedom of speech - even if that meant defending the speech of a French Historian alleged to be a Holocaust denier. -
Retirement from MIT & Later Political Activism
Chomsky retired from his position at MIT in 2002. Since his retirement, he has continued work as an activist, opposing the War on Terror in Iraq and the Middle East. He also provides supports for a number of social issues - including rallying against economic inequality and advocating for the abolishment of nuclear weapons. Citations: Chomsky, Noam. Syntactic Structures. The Hague: Mouton, 1957. Print. Noam Chomsky; Edward S Herman. Andover, Mass.: Warner Modular Publications, 1973. Print.