Decoding Chomsky: Analyzing the Critical Reception of Knight's Critique
The publication of Decoding Chomsky sparked a polarized debate among linguists, philosophers, and political scientists. The work attempts to bridge the gap between Noam Chomsky's scientific contributions to linguistics and his political activism, suggesting that the two are more deeply intertwined than Chomsky himself admits. While some praise the book as a devastating intellectual history, others dismiss it as a politically motivated attack lacking scientific rigor.
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Key Facts
- Core Conflict: The book examines the relationship between Chomsky's linguistic theories and his political beliefs.
- Positive Reception: Praised for its narrative history and for highlighting the influence of figures like Claude Levi-Strauss and Roman Jakobson.
- Negative Reception: Criticized for a perceived lack of formal training in theoretical linguistics and for using political conjecture.
- Military Connection: Both critics and supporters acknowledge that Chomsky's work received funding from the Pentagon, though they disagree on the significance of this fact.
- Scientific Debate: Some reviewers argue that Chomsky's theories are inaccessible to empirical testing, while others claim the author oversimplifies the nature of language.
Critical Perspectives: The Negative Reception
Several critics have argued that the book fails as a scientific critique. Norbert Hornstein and Nathan J. Robinson claimed the work exhibits a complete misunderstanding of Chomsky's linguistic theories. They questioned the motives of Yale University Press, suggesting the book attacks Chomsky through political conjecture rather than academic analysis, comparing it to Tom Wolfe's The Kingdom of Speech.
Robert Barsky argued that because the author lacked formal training in theoretical linguistics—the study of the internal rules and structures of language—he was unqualified to judge the scientific validity of Chomsky's work. Barsky described the book as a "weak rehash" of existing critiques. Similarly, Peter Stone characterized the work as a "vitriolic, ideologically-driven hatchet job," suggesting it was an attempt to demonize Chomsky for perceived political deviations.
From a scientific standpoint, linguist Frederick Newmeyer described the author's portrayal of Chomsky's views on language as a system of social communication as a "gross oversimplification." While Newmeyer acknowledged that the Pentagon hoped to use Chomsky's findings for military purposes, he found the claim that Chomsky intentionally made his theories abstract to prevent such use to be "implausible." Additionally, New Scientist noted that while the critique is trenchant, few scientists would accept the author's vision of science united with revolutionary politics.
Academic Praise: The Positive Reception
Conversely, many scholars found the book to be a compelling piece of intellectual history. Houman Barekat and Sean O'Neill praised the narrative quality, with O'Neill noting that the book brings the personal histories behind Chomsky's contributions to science and philosophy to life.
Political scientist Carl Levy highlighted the book's documentation of how Universal Grammar—the theory that the ability to learn grammar is hard-wired into the human brain—echoed the ideas of Claude Levi-Strauss, Roman Jakobson, and the anarchist poet Velimir Khlebnikov.
Linguists such as Daniel Everett and Gary Lupyan offered strong support. Everett described the exploration of Chomsky's intellectual inconsistencies and genius as "unparalleled," while Lupyan argued that the book makes a compelling case for the "scientific vacuousness" of Chomsky's ideas. Sarah Blaffer Hrdy specifically praised the dismissal of the idea that language emerged suddenly and independently of Darwinian evolution as "a kind of madness."
Philosophers Thomas Klikauer and Rupert Read described the work as insightful and brilliant, respectively. In Anarchist Studies, Peter Seyferth called the analysis of the ideological and political ramifications of Chomsky's theories "absolutely devastating."
The Intersection of Science and State Funding
A central point of contention is the role of military funding. Bruce Nevin argued that the book exposes how Chomsky participated in a post-war transformation that presents science as apolitical, despite its ties to state power. He emphasized that scientific hypotheses must be subject to experimental tests, claiming Chomsky's proposals are notoriously inaccessible to such testing.
Linguist Randy Allen Harris noted a significant irony in the discourse: while Chomsky viewed the author's claims as slanderous accusations of complicity with the U.S. military, Harris argued that the author's premise was actually that Chomsky refused to collude. Harris and Frederick Newmeyer both agreed that military investment in Chomskyan theory was intended to produce practical results in areas such as encryption, machine translation, and command-and-control systems for weaponry.
| Perspective | Key Arguments | Notable Reviewers |
|---|---|---|
| Negative | Lack of linguistic training; politically motivated; oversimplifies science. | Robert Barsky, Peter Stone, Frederick Newmeyer |
| Positive | Excellent intellectual history; exposes scientific vacuousness; links science to politics. | Daniel Everett, Gary Lupyan, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy |
| Neutral/Mixed | Compelling narrative but reaches conclusions few scientists would follow. | New Scientist, Randy Allen Harris |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary goal of Decoding Chomsky?
The book seeks to analyze Noam Chomsky's linguistic theories in the context of his political beliefs and the institutional conditions under which his work was developed.
Why did some linguists criticize the author's credentials?
Critics like Robert Barsky argued that the author was not formally trained in theoretical linguistics, making him unqualified to critique the scientific validity of Chomsky's theories.
What is the controversy regarding military funding?
While it is accepted that Chomsky's work received Pentagon funding for applications like encryption and machine translation, critics disagree on whether this implies complicity or if Chomsky's abstract approach was a way to avoid military utility.
How did the book treat the concept of Universal Grammar?
The book documents how the notion of Universal Grammar was influenced by earlier thinkers, including Claude Levi-Strauss, Roman Jakobson, and Velimir Khlebnikov.
What was the main scientific criticism mentioned by Bruce Nevin?
Nevin argued that Chomsky's linguistic proposals are notoriously inaccessible to empirical testing, which he suggests renders them scientifically lacking.