This Public Health Conversation Starter features Noam Chomsky, “the father of modern linguistics” in discussion with BUSPH Dean Sandro Galea. Dr. Chomsky shares what it was like growing up during the Great Depression, discusses the interplay of power, politics, and public health, and reflects on what gives him hope.

Our Conversation Starters engage leading thinkers in conversation around issues of consequence in public health.

Speakers

Noam Chomsky

Laureate Professor of Linguistics and Agnese Nelms Haury Chair, The University of Arizona

Noam Chomsky

Laureate Professor of Linguistics and Agnese Nelms Haury Chair, The University of Arizona

Considered the founder of modern linguistics, Noam Chomsky is one of the most cited scholars in modern history. Among his groundbreaking books are “Syntactic Structures”, “Language and Mind,” “Aspects of the Theory of Syntax,” and “The Minimalist Program,” each of which has made distinct contributions to the development of the field. He has received numerous awards, including the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, the Helmholtz Medal and the Ben Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science.

Chomsky introduced the Chomsky hierarchy, generative grammar and the concept of a universal grammar, which underlies all human speech and is based in the innate structure of the mind/brain. Chomsky has not only transformed the field of linguistics, his work has influenced fields such as cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, computer science, mathematics, childhood education, and anthropology.

Chomsky is also one of the most influential public intellectuals in the world. He has written more than 100 books, his most recent being “Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power.”

Chomsky joined the UA in fall 2017, coming from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he worked since 1955 and was Institute Professor, later Institute Professor emeritus.