by Noam Chomsky
The New Press
2013, paperback
SKU: 9781595589101
"The essence of anarchism [is] the conviction that the burden of proof has to be placed on authority and that it should be dismantled if that burden cannot be met." —Noam Chomsky
On Anarchism provides the reasoning behind Noam Chomsky’s fearless lifelong questioning of the legitimacy of entrenched power. In these essays, Chomsky, redeems one of the most maligned ideologies, anarchism, and places it at the foundation of his political thinking. Chomsky’s anarchism is distinctly optimistic and egalitarian. Moreover, it is a living, evolving tradition that is situated in a historical lineage; Chomsky's anarchism emphasizes the power of collective, rather than individualist, action.
The collection includes a revealing new introduction by journalist Nathan Schneider, who documented the Occupy movement for Harper’s and The Nation, and who places Chomsky’s ideas in the contemporary political moment. On Anarchism will be essential reading for a new generation of activists who are at the forefront of a resurgence of interest in anarchism—and for anyone who struggles with what can be done to create a more just world.
Noam Chomsky is Institute Professor emeritus of linguistics at MIT and the author of numerous books including Towards A New Cold War, The Chomsky-Foucault Debate, On Language, and Objectivity and Liberal Scholarship (all available from The New Press). He lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Nathan Schneider is the author of Thank You, Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse and God in Proof: The Story of a Search from the Ancients to the Internet. He also edits the online publications Waging Nonviolence and Killing the Buddha. He lives in Brooklyn.