The Cambridge companion to Chomsky / edited by James McGilvray.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

McGilvray, James A. (James Alasdair), 1942-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Chomsky, Noam.

Physical Description:

ix, 335 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Other Title:

Companion to Chomsky

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Summary:

Noam Chomsky is one of the most influential thinkers of modern times. The most cited writer in the humanities, his work has revolutionized the field of linguistics, and has dominated many other disciplines including politics and the philosophy of mind and human nature. He has also contributed significantly to our understanding of the abuse of power, and of the controlling effects of the mass media.

This Companion brings together a team of leading scholars from the fields of linguistics, philosophy, cognitive science, political theory, law, and, physics, to consolidate the disparate strands of Chomsky's thought into one accessible volume. Through a range of chapters focusing on the various aspects of his work, they introduce in a clear and non-technical way the central themes of his extraordinary effect on our understanding of language, mind, and the abuse of political power, and provide an engaging insight into the connections between Chomsky's work in each of these areas.

Comprehensive and informative, this is an essential guide to one of the leading intellectual figures of our time.

Contents:

Part I Chomsky on the human language

1 Chomsky's science of language / Neil Smith 21

2 Plato's Problem, UG, and the language organ / David Lightfoot 42

3 Grammar, levels, and biology / Howard Lasnik 60

4 How the brain begets language / Laura-Ann Petitto 84

5 Chomsky and Halle's revolution in phonology / B. Elan Dresher 102

6 Universal aspects of word learning / Lila Gleitman, Cynthia Fisher 123

Part II Chomsky on the human mind

7 Empiricism and rationalism as research strategies / Norbert Hornstein 145

8 Innate ideas / Paul Pietroski, Stephen Crain 164

9 Mind, language, and the limits of inquiry / Akeel Bilgrami, Carol Rovane 181

10 Meaning and creativity / James McGilvray 204

Part III Chomsky on values and politics

11 Market values and libertarian socialist values / Milan Rai 225

12 The individual, the state, and the corporation / James Wilson 240

13 Noam Chomsky: the struggle continues / Irene Gendzier 260

14 The responsibility of the intellectual / Jean Bricmont 280.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-330) and index.

ISBN:

0521780136

052178431X

OCLC:

56012671

Online:

Publisher description