I think it?s entirely natural for history to progress from a period when slavery is considered legitimate to a period where it isn?t. But I think it would be surprising if history went in the other direction. It seems to me that, throughout history, it is quite common to find things that were regarded as entirely reasonable, ethical, and acceptable in earlier periods regarded with great contempt and disgust in later periods. This is very true of our own traditions. If you read the Bible, say, you find that it is one of the most genocidal texts in our literature. It?s God who orders his chosen people to wipe out the Amalekites down to the last man, woman, and child. People wouldn?t be enjoined to do that sort of thing today; they wouldn?t want to attribute that to their God today. That?s the mark of some sort of moral progress.
I think it?s entirely natural for history to progress from a period when slavery is considered legiti…
Noam Chomsky (born on December 7, 1928, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historical essayist, social critic, and political activist. 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. He is a Laureate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Arizona and an Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and is the author of more than 150 books. He has written and lectured widely on linguistics, philosophy, intellectual history, contemporary issues, and particularly international affairs and U.S. foreign policy. Chomsky has been a writer for Z projects since their earliest inception, and is a tireless supporter of our operations.