Discussion with Noam Chomsky
On Friday, September 30th, the 2016–2017 Fellows enjoyed speaking with Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor & Professor of Linguistics Emeritus at the MIT Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, who graciously agreed to meet with our cohort for the second year in a row.
Professor Chomsky addressed Fellows’ specific questions about the challenges they face in developing as global leaders. Citing a variety of compelling statistics, he identified the threat of nuclear war and climate change as the “two very dark shadows” that threaten the survival of our species. He further lamented the lack of attention to these issues by both leading presidential candidates in this most powerful country in the world—“if anybody were watching this from Mars, they would think we are insane.”
Our discussion also covered a variety of topics including more about the election, current crisis in Syria, geopolitical issues in Pakistan and Iran, and gender equity.
With Professor Chomsky’s permission, we are pleased to share video clips from our discussion.