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Understanding Power
Noam Chomsky is universally accepted as one of the preeminent public intellectuals of the modern era. Over the past thirty years, broadly diverse audiences have gathered to attend his sold-out lectures. Now, in Understanding Power, Peter Mitchell and John Schoeffel have assembled the best of Chomsky’s recent talks on the past, present, and future of the politics of power.
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.
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Reviews
Generational brilliance of Chomsky’s kind is not only to be admired, but heeded. This collection of his talks on power is testament to how insightful and observant he has been when it comes to all things America. That style of weaving the power politics in with the lived experiences on the ground is what makes him so reachable. This is an unrelenting attack on a government rife in criminality of epic proportions and a citizenry blind to the fact. Or at least carefully mislead into being walked down the path towards fascism and despondency. Chomsky underscores again and again the lack of a critical lens across the majority of the populace for filtering information from the government, news, and corporations. That thread of blindness to reality is what he builds from to deliver a detailed breakdown on who has power, how they maintain it, why it matters, and what we can do about it. For all the doom and gloom of his tone, he does offer up hope and a playbook for how to fight back. A resistance rooted in an innate call to values over profit along with the paradigm shifting power of organizing at the grassroots level.
By Richard Bakare
As a collection of talks and Q&As, I found Understanding Power to be one of Chomsky’s most accessible books. There were plenty of moments where I was completely shocked by what he was saying and frankly in disbelief, but the most incredible thing about this book is how everything is sourced and listed at UnderstandingPower.com , a whopping 449 pages worth of sources. Truly one of the greatest intellectual minds of the last century.
By simon finkle
This is an overview of many of Chomsky's ideas that would be a great intro to anyone interested in his work. It's in question/answer format and covers a very wide range of topics. The footnotes also refer to a website that has more detailed material on the topics covered.
By soulmonkeydude