Tag Archives: Linguistics

A thought-provoking excerpt from the opening remarks in the great debate between Noam Chomsky & Michel Foucault. (Check out the video highlights or read the full transcript!)

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All studies of man, from history to linguistics and psychology, are faced with the question of whether, in the last instance, we are the product of all kinds of external factors, or if, in spite of our differences, we have something we could call a common human nature, by which we can recognise each other as human beings.

So my first question is to you Mr. Chomsky, because you often employ the concept of human nature, in which connection you even use terms like “innate ideas” and “innate structures”. Which arguments can you derive from linguistics to give such a central position to this concept of human nature?

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