Topic > Rhetorical Analysis of Noam Chomsky's Survival Prospects

Noam Chomsky is a man highly respected for the extensive work he has done in the fields of linguistics and philosophy. Chomsky is “one of the most influential public intellectuals in the world” (UA), he has published over one hundred books and many articles that people continually refer to for information because they know how much knowledge Chomsky has on these topics. Survival Perspectives was something that Chomsky wrote and presented to a crowd of people and was later published. In this essay, Chomsky argues that the fact that the human species is so intelligent is the reason we are killing ourselves and why we have outlived our species' lifespan. In this essay, Chomsky talks about nuclear weapons, climate change, and neoliberals. Chomsky uses many historical facts to support his claims. The goal of this essay by Chomsky is to inform especially young students about these things that have happened and are currently happening so that they can do further research on these very important topics. It's trying to bring out the fear in these people in hopes that they will be proactive and make a change. Chomsky uses different modes of persuasion to convince the audience of his argument. These three topics are ethos, pathos, and logos. Chomsky uses them in a way to bring out the audience's emotions and also use some logic. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the essay, Chomsky begins by talking about different types of species and uses information he got from one of the leading biologist Ernst Mayr. Mayr studies life on earth and argues that the most successful organisms are those with low intelligence such as rapidly mutating bacteria, and as you move up the intelligence ladder in species the lifespan of those species with more intelligence is much lower than those that are not so tall. Chomsky uses a Mayr quote that “it is better to be smart than stupid.” This is the main idea of ​​the entire essay and Chomsky wants the audience to keep this in mind and provides evidence to prove it. Chomsky then moves on to his first test, namely the development of nuclear weapons. He says the end of World War II was one of the most important moments in human history. This is because it was a time of joy for people around the world due to the dark times that the war brought to so many. But he also says it was a dark moment in human history “with the dawn of the nuclear age, an era darkened by the dark knowledge that human intelligence had created the means for terminal destruction.” People didn't know it then, but the radioactive elements that were spread across the earth by these nuclear weapons would only harm the earth and the human species. Chomsky talks about how the United States was superior economically and militarily. The war gave the United States enormous power with no threats from other countries because of the power they held. Chomsky points out that the citizens of the United States were in danger of total destruction because other countries were afraid of the power the United States held. But it all could have been avoided when Stalin, then leader of Germany, made an offer to the United States to end the Cold War. His proposal was rejected and Chomsky believes that if there was peace then we would not be in the threat we are in today. Chomsky uses the idea of ​​nuclear weapons to argue that thanks to the intelligence of the human species we have developed weapons capable of wiping out the entire species. Chomsky then moves on tosecond threat to the human species is climate change. Chomsky doesn't talk much about this topic because he believes it is a matter of common sense, "anyone with open eyes should be aware that the dangers are grave and imminent." According to Chomsky, one of the worst contributors to this problem is the United States. Chomsky uses a report from the US business press: “The number of oil and gas platforms in the United States has nearly doubled…While two dozen nations are coordinating to cut oil production and rein in global oversupply” . Chomsky says that while most of the world is taking steps to address this impending crisis, only a few very rich and powerful people are moving in a different direction to take advantage of it. This issue of climate change goes hand in hand with Chomsky's argument that intelligence is a threat to species because humans have developed many amazing things like cars, factories and many other things, but most of these things we have created only harm us because of their effects on climate change. Chomsky says one of the most important events was when almost all nations met in Morocco to try to agree on the Paris Accords, but the US Republican Congress wouldn't accept it. This was an important thing because if they had agreed, all nations would have made changes to try to solve climate change. With all this evidence showing that climate change is a real problem, it is repeatedly pushed to the wayside. The Department of Energy is expected to lose $900 million in its budget and “even mention of climate change is banned, while regulations are dismantled and every effort is made to maximize the use of fossil fuels.” Chomsky only speaks briefly about climate change because he believes it is common sense and if people don't realize it then we are in big trouble. Climate change and the increase in nuclear weapons are the two "hammers" that are threatening the human race, but Chomsky also talks about neoliberalism, or policies that take money from the poor and give it to rich leaders. Chomsky explains that in 1979, when the neoliberal experiment was just getting off the ground, Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve, testified to congress about the economy he was managing. He told Congress that “workers are too intimidated to demand decent wages, benefits and working conditions.” These were signs of good economic health by neoliberal standards. One of the main reasons why Chomsky mentions neoliberalism in his essay is because he claims that “neoliberal policies are specifically directed at undermining the regulatory power of government, thereby undermining the ability to thwart sledgehammer blows.” He is saying that these policies reduce the power the government has to regulate things like nuclear weapons and climate change, and with this less power it is harder to solve these problems and because they are imminent, we cannot avoid them with neoliberal policies. With Chomsky's argument about the two main clubs posing a threat to humans, Chomsky uses three different types of methods to persuade the audience to agree with what he is trying to prove. The first method he uses is logos. Logos has to do with persuading the reader using logic. Chomsky does this in many ways. One way he does this is when he talks about nuclear weapons and the deal Khrushchev tried to make with the United States. He wrote to the Kennedy administration that he was “looking.