There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
The first democratic revolution was England in the 1640s.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Noam Chomsky highlights the significance of England's democratic revolution in the 1640s as a pivotal moment in political history.
In this quote, Noam Chomsky draws attention to the first major democratic revolution that occurred in England during the 1640s, emphasizing its role in shaping modern democracy. This period was marked by significant political upheaval, including the English Civil War, which ultimately led to the establishment of parliamentary sovereignty and the questioning of monarchy, laying the groundwork for democratic principles that would influence future revolutions worldwide.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on political theory, one might reference Chomsky's insight to discuss the foundations of democracy.
More from Noam Chomsky
All quotes βThe 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.
If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
There are very few people who are going to look into the mirror and say, 'That person I see is a savage monster;' instead, they make up some construction that justifies what they do.
The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.
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If you read about millions of people doing this and millions of people doing that, history seems remote and inaccessible.
When I started working on women's history about thirty years ago, the field did not exist. People didn't think that women had a history worth knowing.
I wasn't trying to work out my own ancestry. I was trying to get people to feel slavery. I was trying to get across the kind of emotional and psychological stones that slavery threw at people.
History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are.
The history of exploration across nations and across time is not one where nations said, 'Let's explore because it's fun.' It was, 'Let's explore so that we can claim lands for our country, so that we can open up new trade routes; let's explore so we can become more powerful.'
Apart from the intrinsic interest of the complex system of beliefs the Puritans carried with them, their lives give a clue to what it meant at the beginning to be American. And the level of scholarship dealing with them has reached a point where it can address the human condition itself.