… Chomsky is not inconsistent … when he claims to be both a libertarian and a socialist. His socialism poses no particular problems: it is about the need for and the way in which humans organise and live together collectively as individuals. The values of freedom and equality are not mutually exclusive. Chomsky’s views on human nature lend his particular position on libertarian socialism greater authority. Liberty and equality are not only interdependent and progressive values, since, in Chomsky’s view, they are also necessary to or preferable for the healthy development of the human condition. Chomsky’s evidence for such a necessity is far from concrete, as he admits. However, his work in linguistics is certainly suggestive of such a claim. Further it has been argued that for Chomsky freedom and equality are not absolute concepts but are not absolute concepts but are always relative to objective reality. As such Chomsky cannot be accused of teleologucal thinking. By this view then, there is no ‘end’ to history. But there can nevertheless be progress.

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The liberal individual is autonomous, rational, self-interested and self-determining. These characteristics are a priori given, and as such are not influenced by the nature and character of the society in which individuals co-exist.