Noam Chomsky
(Picture: YouTube/ Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal)Philosopher Noam Chomsky has sparked a heated debate by arguing that those who do not get vaccines should be “isolated” from others.
In a wide ranging interview recorded in June in which he answered audience submitted questions, Chomsky offered his views on mandating vaccines and said that while he disagreed with the policy he thought those who refused jabs should isolate because they become “a danger to the community”. The clip has resurfaced on social media today and is causing controversy.
Noam Chomsky says the "right response" to The Unvaccinated is "to insist that they be isolated" from society https://t.co/T34V7anDGI pic.twitter.com/1bBzURPeEi
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) September 2, 2021
He said: “People who refuse to accept vaccines, I think the right response for them is not to force them to but rather to insist that they be isolated.
“If people decide ‘I am willing to be a danger to the community by refusing the vaccine’ they should then say well ‘I also have the decency to isolate myself. I don’t want a vaccine but I don’t have the right to run around harming people’.
“That should be a convention. Enforcing is a different question. It should be understood and we should try to get it to be understood.”
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Reacting to his comments, some people thought he had hit the nail on the head:
Chomsky makes a great point here: People who willingly endanger others by refusing to get the vaccine should self-isolate. It's the decent thing to do for public health. pic.twitter.com/Esk3np9fo1
— Eoin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) September 2, 2021
Chomsky is correct, as he generally is on most issues.
— James Oaten (@isaphotographer) September 2, 2021
Rights come with responsibilities. Too many have come to believe that 'freedom' is being able to do whatever they want without consequence or restriction.
That's not freedom - it's narcissism. https://t.co/0MAICen2wF
Who to believe?
— Frank Owen's Legendary Paintbrush 🟨🟥🥀🇵🇸 (@WarmongerHodges) September 2, 2021
Noam Chomsky, world renowned linguist and one of the greatest minds of the last 100 years, who says vaccines are good?
or
"Lozza" Fox and the two blokes responsible for the early 1990s novelty hits "I'm Too Sexy" and "Deeply Dippy", who say vaccines are evil?
Please be immortal my dearest Noam Chomsky… https://t.co/e3VVvcZBdn
— Eleanor Rigby (@eleanorigby0) September 3, 2021
While others disagreed with him:
Wtf happened to Noam Chomsky?
— Thia is with Palestine 😏✌️💋🔥 (@ThiaBallerina) September 3, 2021
Does he even realize that kids aren’t vaccinated? 🤦🏻♀️
Noam Chomsky was always a very mediocre thinker. People just thought he was insightful because he said things they agreed with. https://t.co/dFJuqJHVaj
— JRD (@JRD0000) September 2, 2021
That is irrational. If the vax works why does a vaxed person need to be isolated from an unvaxed?
— Mark Sharon (@MarkSharon_DP) September 2, 2021
Wish I could say I was surprised, but Noam is frequently wrong and out of touch these days.
— 🕊🕊 Apocalyptic David 🕊🕊 (@BustTheNotes) September 2, 2021
Chomsky added that if an illness like smallpox became “rapid” then there may be a case for mandatory vaccinations but said we were not in a similar situation currently.
Whatever you make of his views, he has definitely provided food for thought.
