Altruism Quote by Noam Chomsky
“We had one or another form of state capitalism during an extremely brief period of human history, which tells us essentially nothing about human nature. If you look at human societies and human interactions, you can find anything. You find selfishness, you find altruism, you find sympathy.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Economic Systems Overview, Noam Chomsky, 2010
Historical state capitalism was brief and varied, offering little insight into innate human behavior, which displays both selfishness and altruism.
In simple terms: State capitalism tells little about human nature.
Key Takeaway
Study broader social patterns.
Themes
politics
human nature
economics
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- academic research
- policy analysis
- community organizing
Key Concepts
state theory
social behavior
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence reveals human altruism?
- How do different systems affect selfish behavior?
A Different Perspective
Short historical snapshots can mislead conclusions.
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
