Noam Chomsky : ideas and ideals

It is always difficult to summarize Chomsky's ideas and ideals. Neil Smith has made a great attempt to finish this challenging task. The five chapers of the book have covered all the important issues relating to Chomsky's theory. The first chapter explains why linguistics should belong to natural science. The second chapter is a good introduction to Chomsky's linguistic framework. The third chapter shows that Chomsky's hypothesis has a strong base of psychological reality. The fourth chapter discusses the difference between Chomksy's linguistic philosophy and those of other distinguished philosophers,such as Wittgenstein, Qyine, Putnan, and so on. The last chapter shows that Chomsky is full of sense of responsibility of the society. His appeal and decent activity to the equality of human beings. This is a helpful book for us to understand Chomsky more and eliminate the misunderstanding of him. Acknowledgments......Page 10 Chomsky’s achievement......Page 12 On heroes and influences......Page 16 1 The mirror of the mind......Page 18 Linguistics as a science......Page 19 The nature of idealization......Page 23 Common sense......Page 27 Modularity......Page 28 Double dissociation......Page 32 Modules and quasi-modules......Page 36 Intelligence and ‘‘learning’’......Page 37 Competence and grammar......Page 39 Rules......Page 40 I-language and E-language......Page 42 Parsing considerations......Page 46 Pragmatic considerations......Page 47 Competence and performance versus I-language andE-language......Page 48 Evolution and innateness......Page 49 Poverty of the stimulus......Page 51 Word meaning......Page 53 Universals......Page 54 Natural language and the language of thought......Page 56 Summary......Page 59 Introduction......Page 60 The lexicon......Page 61 Knowledge of language: structure......Page 64 Knowledge of language: structural relations......Page 65 Levels of representation......Page 67 Constituents and rules......Page 68 Description versus explanation......Page 73 Government and Binding theory......Page 80 Empty categories......Page 87 The status of transformations......Page 91 Principles and parameters......Page 92 Lexical and functional categories......Page 94 Minimalism......Page 97 A historical progression......Page 101 Evolution......Page 102 3 Psychological reality......Page 104 Causality and observability......Page 106 Psychological reality and the nature of evidence......Page 108 Language processing......Page 117 Language acquisition (Plato’s problem)......Page 127 Language pathology......Page 137 Connectionism: the behaviorists strike back......Page 142 Commitments......Page 147 Controversies......Page 156 Language and the world......Page 157 Language and the community......Page 160 Language and the individual......Page 166 Problems of semantics......Page 173 Innateness......Page 178 Unification and reduction......Page 185 Conclusions......Page 187 Explanation and dissent: the common threads......Page 188 Rationality, modularity, and creativity......Page 191 The anarchist background......Page 197 The critique of (American) foreign policy......Page 201 The critique of domestic policy......Page 206 The critique of media control......Page 210 The technique of dissection......Page 214 Moral absolutes and options for the future......Page 219 The positive program......Page 222 Conclusion......Page 224 Envoi......Page 225 Notes and references......Page 226 Bibliography......Page 252 Index......Page 274 Noam Chomsky is one of the leading intellectual figures of modern times. He has had a major influence on linguistics, psychology, and philosophy. In this account of Chomsky's work, Neil Smith analyzes Chomsky's key contributions to the study of both language and the mind. He gives an exposition of Chomsky's linguistic theorizing, and examines the ideas for which he is best known. Smith discusses the psychological and philosophical implications of Chomsky's work, and argues that he has fundamentally changed the way that people think of themselves. Smith examines Chomsky's political ideas and how these fit intellectually with his scholarly work. The final chapter spells out the themes - rationality, creativity and modularity - that unite the disparate strands of his vast output. Throughout, Smith explores the controversy surrounding Chomsky's work, and explains why he has been both adulated and vilified Chomsky has had a major influence on linguistics, psychology, and philosophy. In this rigorous yet accessible account of Chomsky's work, Neil Smith analyses Chomsky's key contributions to the study of both language and the mind. He gives a detailed exposition of Chomsky's linguistic theorizing, and examines the ideas for which he is best known. Smith discusses the psychological and philosophical implications of Chomsky's work, and argues that he has fundamentally changed the way we think of ourselves. Smith examines Chomsky's political ideas and how these fit intellectually with his scholarly work. The final chapter spells out the themes - rationality, creativity and modularity - that unite the disparate strands of his vast output. Throughout, Smith explores the controversy surrounding Chomsky's work, and explains why he has been both adulated and vilified. Chomsky Has Had A Major Influence On Modern Linguistics, Psychology And Philosophy. In This Account Of His Work, Chomsky's Key Contributions To The Study Of Language And The Mind Are Analysed. The Mirror Of The Mind -- The Linguistic Foundation -- Psychological Reality -- Philosophical Realism: Commitments And Controversies -- Language And Freedom. Neil Smith. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 215-262) And Index. Analyzing Noam Chomsky's key contributions to the study of both language and the mind, this book provides an exposition of Chomsky's linguistic theorizing, and examines the ideas for which he is best known. The psychological and philosophical implications of his work are discussed

Analyses Chomsky's important contribution to the study of language and the study of mind.