His debate with Foucault turned on the notion of human nature - Foucault denying that there is any such thing, and Chomsky holding that because people are not plastic, you can't just do anything you want with them. There is a basis for praising and blaming human actions beyond mere emotivism ("I like that/I don't like that").
The apparent contradiction that you point to is what led him to the consideration of propaganda and the "the manufacture of consent." He calls it "Hume's problem":
'Hume found "nothing more surprising" than "to see the easiness with which the many are governed by the few; and to observe the implicit submission with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers. When we enquire by what means this wonder is brought about, we shall find, that as Force is always on the side of the governed, the governors have nothing to support them but opinion. 'Tis therefore, on opinion only that government is founded; and this maxim extends to the most despotic and most military governments, as well as to the most free and most popular."
'Hume was an astute observer, and his paradox of government is much to the point. His insight explains why elites are so dedicated to indoctrination and thought control, a major and largely neglected theme of modern history. "The public must be put in its place," Walter Lippmann wrote, so that we may "live free of the trampling and the roar of a bewildered herd," whose "function" is to be "interested spectators of action," not participants. And if the state lacks the force to coerce and the voice of the people can be heard, it is necessary to ensure that that voice says the right thing, as respected intellectuals have been advising for many years.'
In contrast to Carroll, I think Chomsky's "present performances" are as important as those of a generation ago. I became a yellow-dog Chomskyan from hearing his lecture "Government in the Future" (which is still in print), and I suggest that there are few analyses from that time that wear as well. --CGE
On 5/9/10 12:19 PM, shag carpet bomb wrote:
> i was thinking that it was this: chomsky thinks that, basically, people
> are wired for libertarian socialism. hence, all the propaganda is an
> effort to convince people to do what they would otherwise not want to do
> naturally. i seem to recall that this came out in his debate with
> Foucault back in the 60s, and debated extensively here. so, the position
> of the left, for chomsky, is that we have it easy. 1. most human beings
> are naturally inclined to libertarian socialism, and 2. only live in
> capitalism because they must and because they are systematically deluded
> by propaganda into supporting a system that's against their natural
> desires. therefore, the job for Leftists is really quite simple. Counter
> the massive resources mobilized on behalf of capital with our minuscule
> resources. We don't need massive resources to get our messages across -
> only capitalism does. It's not a problem of capitalist state power and
> massive resources against us. It's a problem of us not getting it
> together enough to deliver a really simple message with posters, email,
> zines, web sites, and hanging out a local pub explaining the facts, in a
> down home way.
>
> hmmm. shades of Liberal Enlightenment thesis going on: well-informed
> people will naturally love Liberalism so it's all about getting the
> facts and truth out there and they will naturally vote for Democrats. in
> this version of the liberal enlightenment world view, we just get the
> facts out there, inform a citizenry, and the veil of ideology will be
> lifted.
>
> i am reminded of Judith Butler's evisceration of the anti-pomos in an
> essay called "Merely Cultural" where she points out that anit-pomos, in
> the name of class solidarity, effectively reinstantiate the very
> fragmentation on the left they claim to deride.
>
>
> shag
>
> At 12:49 PM 5/9/2010, Carrol Cox wrote:
>> Chomsky is an honorable part of the past, and it's time to put him on a
>> pedestal and then not worry about his present performances.
>>
>> Anyhow, you know The Left is respsible for milk turning sdour.
>>
>> Carrol