How the World Works (Real Story (Soft Skull Press)) by Noam Chomsky (PDF)

Description

An eye-opening introduction to the timelessly relevant ideas of Noam Chomsky, this book is a penetrating, illusion-shattering look at how things really work from the man The New York Times called “arguably the most important intellectual alive.” Offering something not found anywhere else: How the World Works is pure Chomsky, but tailored for those unfamiliar to his work. Made up of meticulously edited speeches and interviews, every dazzling idea and penetrating insight is kept intact and delivered in clear, accessible, reader-friendly prose. Originally published as four short books in the famous Real Story series—What Uncle Sam Really Wants; The Prosperous Few and the Restless Many; Secrets, Lies and Democracy; and The Common Good—they’ve collectively sold almost 600,000 copies.And they continue to sell year after year after year because Chomsky’s ideas become, if anything, more relevant as time goes by. For example, it was decades ago when he pointed out that “in 1970, about 90% of international capital was used for trade and long-term investment—more or less productive things—and 10% for speculation. By 1990, those figures had reversed.” As we know, high-risk speculation continues to increase exponentially as corporations continue to push the free market economy—but only for the power they offer to the wealthy, not to benefit all people. We’re paying the price now for not heeding him them.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: About the Author Noam Chomsky is the most famous social critic in the world. Lionized abroad, his ideas are marginalized here—except in linguistics, where they’ve revolutionized the field. According to MIT and the Chicago Tribune, he’s the most cited author in the last two decades and is the eighth most cited source of all time (only surpasssed by Marx, Lenin, Shakespeare, Aristotle, the Bible, Plato, and Freud). Born in 1928, he’s taught at MIT for more than 50 years.David Barsamian is an Armenian-American radio broadcaster, writer, and the founder and director of Alternative Radio, a Colorado-based syndicated weekly public affairs program.Arthur Naiman wrote, co-authored, edited, designed and/or published more than thirty nonfiction books. In each of those categories, his books have sold over a million copies.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐indispensable to understanding the political and economic power structures of the WorldA well-formatted ebook; easy to read, search, highlight, and add notes and commentary.The substance of the book is classic Noam Chomsky—indispensable to understanding the political and economic power structures of the World.One can’t understand geology without plate tectonics, biology without evolution by natural selection, the universe without relativity and quantum mechanics, how the world works without Chomsky.

⭐Noam Chomsky is one of the great intellects of our time. He is a professor at MIT and a leading scientist-philosopher and political theorist with special contributions in the areas of theoretical linguistics and cognitive science. This book is a compilation of interviews and speeches largely focused on political theory, covering a wide range of topics from NAFTA to East Timor. As a result, it is a great primer on his thought.While Chomsky’s grasp of history and world affairs is unparalleled, perhaps his greatest intellectual gift is his ability to distill the diversity and complexity of world events down to a simple picture, simply explained. Such ability for distillation, of course, often offends those whose opinions and perspectives don’t survive the distillation, either because they are inaccurate or irrelevant, which is why we don’t hear more about him in the US media. All the more reason, I believe, to hear what he has to say.The lens through which he distills the world in this book is the power of capital. It is not greed, because once you are the richest nation on the planet or individually worth more than 100 billion dollars, but will still do almost anything for more, greed is no longer rational or relevant. Power, however, is a cup that never overflows.America, Chomsky argues, has never been a democracy. And while that has always been true in a technical sense (The Electoral College and US Senate were, from the beginning, designed to be barriers to allowing the populace to control its own destiny.), he sees our constant reference to democracy as the distracting hand of the magician who is, with his other hand, picking the pockets of the world.Despite what our leaders in Washington tell us, there is no democratic ideology in American politics and foreign policy. There is only the quest for power that flows from unbridled wealth. He quotes the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London as concluding that, “while the US pays lip service to democracy, the real commitment is to ‘private, capitalist enterprise.’” In other words, our true ideology is how to further enrich and empower the corporations, hedge funds, and other capitalist cabals that own the country and the political process. As John Jay said, “The country should be governed by those who own it.” And indeed they do.If, as John Dewey put it seventy years ago, “Politics is the shadow cast on society by big business,” how have they pulled off “capital’s clear subjugation of labor,” and taken such firm control of both Americans in general, including the ones so subjugated, and the political process in particular?The simple answer is sleight of hand. Chomsky argues that for years that magical distraction was the Cold War, funneling untold wealth and the research and technology paid for by American taxpayers through the Pentagon and its proxies, through its enormous funding of research, unimaginably large spending power, and virtual guarantee that every country in the world will bow to American corporate will or suffer the might of the greatest military every assembled.The Pentagon and its proxies even created the American tech revolution, which we have naively attributed to the genius of a few young visionaries who could see the future the rest of us couldn’t, when, in fact, if was the Department of Defense and the US taxpayer who made it all possible. (And who, by the way, have never received a nickel in financial return on the investment.)With the end of the Cold War, and the realities of the tech world now emerging into the light, exposing both the limits and the evil realities it has unleashed, our government effortlessly substituted jobs as the great justifier of our continued capital pillage.And now, it seems, having created jobs that few people seem to want, (worker engagement runs at an all time low) we have once again effortlessly shifted the distracting hand of the magician to the defense of democracy. Authoritarianism, we are told, is the new enemy of freedom and prosperity. Will the sleight get enough traction to continue to fuel our brand of free market capitalism or will labor – all labor, long subjugated, insist that its voice be heard?If you are an American who believes that we are the strongest nation in the world due to the strength of our democratic institutions and that our politicians rule solely for our benefit, there is much in this book you won’t agree with. There is some I don’t agree with. But that, in my mind, is all the more reason to read it. If you can’t defend your own perspective against Chomsky’s insight and reasoning, then you are just another magician.I won’t recommend that you read this book. But I do challenge you to.

⭐If you are a firm patriot, look away. This book will blow gaping holes in your rose tinted patriotism. The trouble is they are very real, credible holes. Its the kind of grown up truth that once you read it, the world is a different place. You lost belief in Santa and the Tooth Fairy. Now its time to see the reality of what we call freedom; what we call democracy. Read it if you dare. Most of you won’t.This guy is blackballed from mainstream media, because he is right, and the truth is dangerous to the powers that be. It makes it more difficult for them to steer “the bewildered herd”.The book itself is very accessible and easy to read. Its broken up into sections corresponding to different interviews on different subjects, but there is a little repetition, just so that each section stands well on its own. If you have lived outside the USA, if you have ever ready Orwell’s 1984, you will find the book easier to accept. The difficulty will come from a refusal to accept what is going on; a refusal to accept that Santa was invented to sell more stuff; and that our history books are full of feel-good distortions of what really goes on.

⭐According to the common-sense meaning, a society is democratic to the extent that people can participate in a meaningful way in managing their affairs. But the doctrinal meaning of democracy is different—it refers to a system in which decisions are made by sectors of the business community and related elites. The public are to be only “spectators of action,” not “participants,” as leading democratic theorists (in this case, Walter Lippmann) have explained.

⭐The last section of this book, What You Can Do, says it all. You can’t wait for a savior. Just start working on your favorite issue, organize! Start preparing for the onslaught by the corporate shill politicians, against public lands, corporate taxes, public safety nets, pollution, wildlife! Nothing is sacred. They’re about to unravel the last 100 years of progress. Read this then go out and get started.

⭐There were some parts that were really eye opening, facts and observations; other parts were rather dull. This would explain why some parts, mostly in the front half read quickly and other parts took forever because they were rather dull.The book does show its age though, like the part where he talks about disseminating information by cassette tape.Overall a great read that I would recommend

⭐This is a compilation book. Some of the stories are dated but the insights are timeless. If you have ever wondered why things are “the way they are”, this book is a must read. I’m adding Noam Chomsky to my fantasy dinner party. So far I have Ben Franklin, Jesus Christ, Christopher Hitchens, Stephen Hawking, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and now Noam Chomsky. I have a fantasy brunch but we would have to go to Nevada where it is legal.

⭐Reading Chomsky is much like taking the red pill in the Matrix movie. It can be an eye opening experience. While I don’t agree with everything he says I find his take on the media’s role in propagandising the American public very interesting. Since this book was written in the late 1990s it’s also interesting to see some of Chomsky ‘s predictions that have come to pass. It’s also interesting to draw parallels between the 1990s and today (2016). I recommend this book.

⭐As with most Chomsky books, really eye opening stuff. Edited into more bitesize points than some of his other books, so not too difficult for the beginner. Really important stuff to understand the world we live in and especially the way things are going lately, if you’re not aware, you’ll be manipulated to vote and act against your interests. Don’t let it happen, buy the book!

⭐I’ve given this 4 stars because Chomksy is always worth reading. Whether you agree with him or not, there’s no deviousness in the way he sets his stall unlike with nearly every politician in every country. You take it or leave it.My one gripe is that it is too repetitive because it is more or less a series of transcripts and dependent on what he is being asked about, hence the repetition. He always backs up his views with the evidence that he has gathered to support it and for that, cannot be faulted unlike some of the rent-a-quote people who have way too much influence on politics these days. As for journalists in the UK, they haven’t got a clue in most cases apart from a very few honourable exceptions.

⭐Wow, it’s incredible! This man has straightened my thinking. If u want to understand news, Globalisation, free market, International trade, etc, I mean the faces behind words, just comfortably pick, sit n read. It’s unbelievable the wickedness of some human beings!

⭐This is easy to read and full of proven examples about the cynical manipulation of citizens World wide by greedy and power mad corporations. Truly disturbing once you take the message on board and become aware of the extent and depth of the manipulation that governs your life. NHS, social housing, news media, government, amazon and similar.

⭐I have read this book on the train to work for the last month if even 1/2 is true it is too depressing, but I guess it is something we always knew. This is the trouble with empirical politics. Rise up brother and let’s start the revolution, or just assist the capitalist elite to their endgame.

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