Noam Chomsky on Scottish Independence : Statehood and Power (Recorded at MIT)

[KoKo]

george patterson September 6, 2014 9:12 pm Log in to Reply

Noam Chomsky has shown his luminous, charismatic brilliance again quite eloquently in discussing Scottish independence and other themes like the nature and structure of power and exploitation; the nationalistic movements for independence; the artificial constructs of nation states; how nations need to adapt to living harmoniously in a global financial system; and the importance of cooperative movements and other movements for fundamental social, economic, and political change like the civil rights movement un America. For example, he explains that the strong thrust for Scottish independence can be explained by the fact that many nations are artificial constructs imposed upon different ethnolinguistic groups that have totally different values, cultures, language, religions, norms, and customs that make it difficult for them to stay together in a national union.

He also points out that in order for Scottish independence to succeed and become viable, it must adapt to the global realities of the international finance system and the global geopolitical system, and make the necessary pragmatic political, economic, and social reforms to make their independence successful and viable. He adds that these reforms should be mild reforms that should be done gradually in order for their new nation to live harmoniously and viably within the global political economy rather than being done drastically that could turn out to be very destructive to their new nation. In conclusion, he demonstrates enormous wisdom, insight, pragmatism, realism, and understanding of history and its dynamics, concerning these themes, and an ingenious analysis of them and a vision of the possibility of a much better world.

Published on Sep 4, 2014

Noam Chomsky on Scottish Independence : Statehood and Power.
Recorded at MIT, Boston by Stuart Platt.
Questions by Gordon Asher, Leigh French and Stuart Platt

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[another_liberal]

1. What a great mind . . .

And a great man; in fact, he's a living treasure.

No great lover of militant Nationalism though, to say the least.