Robert Kagan and Noam Chomsky Two ways of being a political intellectual

Abstract

This article analyses various modes of being an intellectual and thinking about the nation-state in the USA, by focusing closely on the work of two emblems: Robert Kagan and Noam Chomsky. They embody very different conceptions of society and two different ways of understanding the link between thought and deed. They serve here as two ideal types: the mandarin speaking with the powers that be and operating within the Machiavellian tradition of being advisor to the Prince; and the libertarian dissident whose conception of truth-seeking transcends any group or ideological affiliation.