Quote Originally Posted by mustachio
perhaps i am being redundant but chomsky cannot be ignored so easily. the fact that his linguistic theory is so obvious does not make it dumb. in fact, it makes him seem even smarter. what we take for granted today, didn't seem so back then. other researchers simply built over it. it is one of several sparks to what is now a bonfire.

let's see. Chomsky states that one must study the mechanism of a sentence. a sentence must have a coherent structure.

example: a) colorless yellow ideas snooze furiously.
not
b) yellow furiously by ideas snooze colorless.

a sentence cannot simply be a sequence of random ideas. there must be structure, like a tree. a coherent tree.

.
The obvious is just that, the obvious. Any 3 year old has to develope theories like those of Chomsky in order to learn to speak. Chomsky probably elaborated on those ideas but I don't see what their value is to me, what is possible today linguisitcally that was not possible 30 years ago?

also, Chomsky champions the downtrodden in our society. he reminds us that the system is made to keep the lower classes down to the higher ones' benefit. i agree with him: american society is hypocritical and rotten in its fake wars of all kinds(covert conquest and enslavement of all mankind) and garbage bin idealism aimed at keeping its plebs docile and absurdly proud
Champions of the downtroden are many. I prefer it when the downtroden themselves become such champions and not pampared babies like Chomsky.

As to american foreign policy, no need to bother, it will soon be less rrelevant.