Philosophy writing essay

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In the Chomsky-Foucault debate on human nature, who do you think makes the more compelling argument and why? Do you find yourself agreeing with Chomsky, or do Foucault's suspicions resonate with you? In other words, who won the debate?

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The Chomsky-Foucault Debate ◼ ◼ ◼ Ultimately, this debate is about the place of “human nature” in the project of political resistance. Chomsky thinks that, in order to resist injustice, we need a universal conception of human nature. Foucault argues that any conception of human nature that we establish will be inflected with the forms of power that prevail in a given society. In other words, we cannot resist in the name of “universal justice,” because our idea of “universal justice” comes from the very power that we are trying to resist in the name of universal justice. •Chomsky argues that, without some idea of universal human values, we wouldn’t know how or when or why to resist oppression. If we fight against injustice, we need some idea of what we’re fighting for. •We can see their disagreement most clearly in an exchange that happens from page 49 to page 51. They argue about the relationship between ‘social struggle’ (for greater equality, for a new society, for a transfer of power) and the idea of justice. ◼ “The only reason for wanting any such thing, I believe, is because one thinks, rightly or wrongly, that some fundamental human values will be achieved by that transfer of power” (p. 52). ◼ “Rather than thinking of the social struggle in terms of justice, one has to emphasize justice in terms of the social struggle” (p. 50). ◼ To put this another way: Chomsky thinks that in order to criticize and resist the injustices of society, we need an idea of ‘justice’ rooted in a universal idea of human nature. Foucault argues, by contrast, that our ideas of ‘universal justice’ and ‘human nature’ are produced the power relations of society, and therefore cannot be used to critique or resist society effectively. He argues, against Chomsky, that people resist and revolt because they want to institute new regimes of power, not because they want to achieve some ideal humanity which would be outside of power relations. ◼ Chomsky: The oppressed can and should resist because oppression goes against human nature and universal justice. Even those in privileged positions should have solidarity with the oppressed because their struggle will, hopefully, achieve the ideal of real humanity, which we can know by analyzing human nature. ◼ Foucault: The oppressed can and should resist because mechanisms of power dominate their lives in ways disagreeable to them. In their struggle, they should avoid using the language of ‘universal justice’ or ‘human nature,’ because this vocabulary is created and sustained by the mechanisms of power they are trying to overcome. The oppressed struggle, not in the name of a ‘real humanity,’ but in the name of a different regime of power. In other words… ◼ Chomsky: If we’re going to have political progress, we need a thorough account of human nature. ◼ Foucault: If we’re going to make political changes, we cannot rely on the ideas of ‘human nature’ developed by our present society. ◼ Think back to the ‘injustices’ that I asked you to imagine during Monday’s lecture. Why do we feel offended by these events and compelled to resist them? In the name of universal humanity, justice, human nature? Or do we disapprove of the mechanism of power being used and feel compelled to assert our own power against it? In other words, if you find yourself wanting to resist something like racial oppression or income inequality, why? Does Chomsky give a more compelling explanation for this, or does Foucault make some sense? To put it all together: if we’re going to resist oppression and make political progress, do we need an idea of human nature? ◼ This question shows some of the practical importance of philosophy, and specifically the practical importance of the question of human nature. Philosophy is an academic discipline, but its questions are questions that apply to everyone, and, if we care about the world, questions that we all have to try to answer. Chomsky and Foucault, Beauvoir and Fanon, Tolstoy and Freud all offer some answers, but more than anything else, I hope you came away from this course with a better sense of what the questions are. ◼ In place of the usual lecture today, your assignment is to watch the actual debate between Chomsky and Foucault: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wfNl 2L0Gf8 Don’t forget to turn on the subtitles ◼ Feel free to skip the ‘commentary’ parts; in fact, feel free to skip to about the 30:00 mark and only watch the second half of the debate (this is the important part for our purposes). ◼ After that, take a look at this video in which Chomsky reflects on the debate decades later: ◼ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i63_kA w3WmE
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Running head: ANALYSIS ON THE DEBATE BETWEEN CHOMSKY AND FOUCAULT

Analysis on the Debate between Chomsky and Foucault
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ANALYSIS ON THE DEBATE BETWEEN CHOMSKY AND FOUCAULT
In the Chomsky-Foucault debate on human nature, who do you think makes the more
compelling argument and why? Do you find yourself agreeing with Chomsky, or do
Foucault's suspicions resonate with you? In other words, who won the debate?
Human nature refers to characteristics which include one's way of life, instincts, and
behavior. Concerning that, Power is the ability that one may have to execute complex decisions
without asking for anyone's opinions. Moreover, justice is a fundamental element that exists
within the responsible and morally upright ci...


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