In a message dated 6/10/99 3:46:31 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:

>I thought he described himself as left-liberal.  Is that an anarchist?
>
 PeaceWORKS: Dr. Chomsky, why do you call yourself a "libertarian
anarchist" rather than a plain "anarchist"?

Noam Chomsky: The term I usually use is "libertarian socialist," which
is fairly standard usage in the anarchist tradition. Anarchism covers a
pretty broad range. One major sector in Europe regarded itself as the
libertarian wing of the socialist movement. Unfortunately, the term
"libertarian" has a different usage in the United States, which departs
from the tradition. Here the term "libertarian" means anarcho-
capitalist.

PeaceWORKS: Would you say anarchism generally is a tendency to increase
freedom, as one might look at a decrease of entropy as a sign of life?

Chomsky: My feeling about anarchism is that it is not a movement with an
ideology. It is a tendency in the history of human thought and action
which seeks to identify coercive, authoritarian, and hierarchic
structures of all kinds and to challenge their legitimacy -- and if they
cannot justify their legitimacy, which is quite commonly the case, to
work to undermine them and expand the scope of freedom. I don't think
there are formulas that can be applied.

PeaceWORKS: In that regard, that's what I call "Chomsky's Laser," like
Occam's Razor: that all authority must justify itself.

Chomsky: The burden of proof is really on the authoritarian structures.
That's the essential meaning of anarchist thought. That is not to say
that some structures can't stand the examination.

PeaceWORKS: Sure, you use the example of a 3-year-old child running out
into the street ... You say that "people should tear away the masks of
ideological distortion and indoctrination" ... Maybe it's Hume's
Paradox: people have to give their consent to be ruled. But if they just
withhold consent, saying, "you haven't convinced me," does that mean
that the power structure goes away?

Chomsky: Well, if you just withhold consent privately at home, nothing
happens. If withholding consent is a step toward organization and
action, then a lot can change. In fact, you can claim that you are
withholding consent and still be consenting to the structure. For
example, suppose that you're living in a society that has slavery. If
you sit at home quietly and say, "I object to slavery," that's giving
your consent.