There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Chomsky critiques the flaws of government systems compared to the unregulated power of corporations.
In this quote, Noam Chomsky highlights the inherent flaws within democratic governments, suggesting that they have the potential for representation and accountability, yet often fail to fulfill these ideals. In contrast, he argues that corporations operate without such democratic accountability, functioning purely as tyrannies that prioritize profit over the welfare of individuals or society, emphasizing the need for critical examination of both systems.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on corporate ethics, one might quote Chomsky to underscore the dangers of unchecked corporate power.
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.
Similar quotes
What is a democrat? One who believes that the republicans have ruined the country. What is a republican? One who believes that the democrats would ruin the country.
But if Russia is to be part of this larger zone of peace it cannot bring into it its imperial baggage. It cannot bring into it a policy of genocide against the Chechens, and cannot kill journalists, and it cannot repress the mass media.
When you've spent half your political life dealing with humdrum issues like the environment, it's exciting to have a real crisis on your hands.
All the reputedly powerful reactionaries are merely paper tigers. The reason is that they are divorced from the people. Look! Was not Hitler a paper tiger? Was Hitler not overthrown? U.S. imperialism has not yet been overthrown and it has the atomic bomb. I believe it also will be overthrown. It, too, is a paper tiger.
The chief internal enemies of any state are not spies nor saboteurs nor the paid agents of foreign governments. They are, on the contrary, those myriads of public officials who betray the trust imposed upon them by the people.
Remember that a civilized nation cannot just have one party; if there were only one party, this would merely be a dictatorship. Politics could not advance.