In his seminal article “the responsibility of intellectuals”, based on the series of articles by Dwight Macdonald on the “responsibility of people”, Noam Chomsky concludes that “it is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth and to expose lies”. Professor Chomsky argues that intellectuals are in a privilege position to tell the truth and expose lies, often hidden intentions behind “the veil of distortion and misrepresentation, ideology and class interest”.
In the Western world, intellectuals responsibility comes from their scientific training, access to information, freedom of expression and political liberty. The responsibility of intellectuals is paramount in times of growing tolerance for misinformation, lack of concern for truth, and failure to see events in their historical perspective or with healthy skepticism.
The aim of this talk is to elaborate on intellectual honesty and the responsibility of intellectuals in the current context of growing misinformation.
