At its root, the logic is that of the Grand Inquisitor, who bitterly assailed Christ for offering people freedom and thus condemning them to misery. The Church must correct the evil work of Christ by offering the miserable mass of humanity the gift they most desire and need: absolute submission. It must vanquish freedom so as to make men happy and provide the total community of worship that they avidly seek. In the modern secular age, this means worship of the state religion, which in the Western democracies incorporates the doctrine of submission to the masters of the system of public subsidy, private profit, called free enterprise. The people must be kept in ignorance, reduced to jingoist incantations, for their own good. And like the Grand Inquisitor, who employs the forces of miracle, mystery, and authority to conquer and hold captive for ever the conscience of these impotent rebels for their happiness and to deny them the freedom of choice they so fear and despise, so the cool observers must create the necessary illusions and emotionally potent oversimplifications that keep the ignorant and stupid masses disciplined and content.

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About Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky was a contemporary American linguist and activist. Avram Noam Chomsky is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. Read more on Wikipedia →

Themes

  • Freedom — The value of liberty, independence, and self-determination
  • Power — The dynamics of influence, authority, and leadership

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