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Chomsky once told a group of people that he himself was 'agnostic' on whether the Holocaust occurred. When professor Robert Nozick, who was part of the group, confronted Chomsky with this outrageous statement following a debate at Harvard Medical School, Chomsky shoved Nozick, saying, 'How dare you quote an off-the-record remark I made to a small group at Princeton.' He did not deny making the statement. --Alan Dershowitz, June 1, 2007 [238]

Noam Chomsky#257

ChomskyDebateEvidenceConfrontationControversyHolocaust

About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker claims Chomsky was confrontational and did not deny past remarks about the Holocaust.
In plain terms
Chomsky is accused of refusing to deny controversial off-record comments.
What can you take from it?
Off-record remarks can be weaponized when surfaced later.

Where it applies

  • debate
  • academic conflict
  • public record

Putting it to work

  • clarify public statements
  • manage private remarks

Questions to consider

  • How do we handle past quotes?
  • Is silence an admission?

Another view

Anecdotal evidence about off-record talks is hard to verify.

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