The Responsibility of Intellectuals (revisited)

In 1964, an essay called "The Responsibility of Intellectuals" was written by Noam Chomsky.

Chomsky notes that rather than challenging the state, many intellectuals have become "apologists" for it, accepting the "purity of American motives" as an article of faith that is beyond discussion.

In Jan 2026 today we see how applicable the ideas in this essay really are. We see an American citizen executed by Border Patrol agents in the middle of the street in Minneapolis today and scroll Twitter/X to see J.D. Vance, Elon Musk, Keith Rabois, other tech entrepreneurs applauding federal agents and condemning a peaceful American protestor for exercising his 1st Amendment right.

Chomsky identifies several reasons why these intellectuals abandon their traditional role as truth-seekers to become agents of the state. He argues that this isn't usually a result of a conscious conspiracy, but rather a structural and psychological alignment with power.

I suggest you read his full essay top to bottom, and even come back to it from time to time.