Prof. Noam Chomsky’s Lecture

Noam Chomsky, professor of linguistics at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology, delivered the Eqbal Ahmad Distinguished Lecture in Lahore on November 24, 2001 to honour the memory of his illustrious colleague and comrade.

An activist who is looked up to as one of the truly inspirational figures of this century, Chomsky will be be for future generations what Ibn Rushd, Galileo, Descartes, Newton, and Russell were for earlier ones.  His restless intellect has led him to embrace many fields including linguistics, cognitive sciences, philosophy, psychology, social activism and politics, history and the history of ideas. Chomsky has maintained a radical stance that for more than fifty years has embroiled him in controversy.  He first came to prominence in the political realm for opposing the U.S. invasion of South Vietnam.  In recognition of having given birth to the “Chomskyian Revolution” in mathematical linguistics, Chomsky was awarded the 1988 Kyoto Prize, described as the Japanese equivalent of the Nobel Prize.  He is the author of over seventy books and over a thousand articles.  Several books have been written about him.