The seminal writings of America’s leading philosopher, linguist, and political thinker—“the foremost gadfly of our national conscience” (The New York Times). For the past fifty years Noam Chomsky’s writings on politics and language have established him as a preeminent public intellectual as well as one of the most original political and social critics of our time. Among the seminal figures in linguistic theory over the past century, Chomsky has also secured a place among the most influential dissident voice in the United States. Chomsky’s many bestselling works—including Manufacturing Consent, Hegemony or Survival, Understanding Power, and Failed States—have served as essential touchstones for activists, scholars, and concerned citizens on subjects ranging from the media and intellectual freedom to human rights and war crimes. In particular, Chomsky’s scathing critique of the US wars in Vietnam, Central America, and the Middle East have furnished a widely accepted intellectual premise for antiwar movements for nearly four decades. The Essential Chomsky assembles the core of his most important writings, including excerpts from his most influential texts over the past half century. Here is an unprecedented, comprehensive overview of the thought that animates “one of the West’s most influential intellectuals in the cause of peace” (The Independent). “Chomsky ranks with Marx, Shakespeare, and the Bible as one of the ten most quoted sources in the humanities—and is the only writer among them still alive.” —The Guardian “Noam Chomsky is one of the most significant challengers of unjust power and delusions; he goes against every assumption about American altruism and humanitarianism.” —Edward Said “A rebel without a pause.” —Bono

One of the foremost critics of U.S. foreign policy delivers his insight into the ways that popular activism has led to substantial gains in freedom and justice around the world--and how those gains can be reached in the United States.

In a series of enlightening and wide-ranging discussions, all published here for the first time, Chomsky radically reinterprets the events of the past three decades, covering topics from foreign policy during Vietnam to the decline of welfare under the Clinton administration. And as he elucidates the connection between America's imperialistic foreign policy and the decline of domestic social services, Chomsky also discerns the necessary steps to take toward social change. With an eye to political activism and the media's role in popular struggle, as well as U.S. foreign and domestic policy, Understanding Power offers a sweeping critique of the world around us and is definitive Chomsky. Characterized by Chomsky's accessible and informative style, this is the ideal book for those new to his work as well as for those who have been listening for years.

At a time when the United States exacts a greater and greater power over the rest of the world, America�s leading voice of dissent needs to be heard more than ever. In over thirty timely, accessible and urgent essays, Chomsky cogently examines the burning issues of our post-9/11 world, covering the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Bush presidency and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. This is an essential collection, from a vital and authoritative perspective.

Argues that the media serves the needs of those in power rather than performing a watchdog role, and looks at specific cases and issues

Get the Summary of Noam Chomsky, Anthony Arnove's The Essential Chomsky in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. "The Essential Chomsky" is a comprehensive collection of Noam Chomsky's thoughts and critiques on a variety of subjects, including language, politics, and human nature. Chomsky challenges B. F. Skinner's behaviorist approach to language, arguing that it oversimplifies the complexities of verbal communication and fails to account for innate human capacities. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the formal properties of language and the role of a universal grammar in enabling the creative aspect of human communication...

Taken from a wide variety of sources, many never widely published - some never in a book at all - and spanning four decades, the reader is furnished with a truly comprehensive window into Chomsky's anarchist convictions' (convictions which, while ever-present in his analysis, are left largely misunderstood or worse, ignored). In seeking to combat the great challenges facing humanity, Chomsky's analysis and the traditions on which his work draws should not be left in obscurity.