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Chomsky: INFJ, INTJ, ISTJ or something else?

Doctor Cringelord

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What is Noam Chomsky’s type?

I saw someone arguing for ISTJ due to his heavy reliance on factual data to back his views. But I get the impression the facts are merely a means to an end and presented in service of his intuition based insights. Therefore I’m inclined to peg him INxJ. He seems too focused on presenting a grand unified understanding or vision to suggest an NP, but I wouldn’t rule that out either.

Thoughts?
 

Doctor Cringelord

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Also, the reason I haven’t ruled out INFJ is because he speaks a lot about the importance of social interaction among the youth in academia. I just get an impression of Fe, also in the way he has a fixation on maintaining traditional social values in his idealized utopia—not necessarily socially conservative values so much as maintaining a strong sense of community.
 

miss deceit

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Also, the reason I haven’t ruled out INFJ is because he speaks a lot about the importance of social interaction among the youth in academia. I just get an impression of Fe, also in the way he has a fixation on maintaining traditional social values in his idealized utopia—not necessarily socially conservative values so much as maintaining a strong sense of community.

Now I don't know too much about Chomsky himself besides what was covered in my A Level English Language class - so not much. But what I will say is emphasis on the importance of social interaction doesn't necessarily rule out IxTJ. It seems like a pretty Je thing in general to emphasise, but I don't see it being specific to Fe. Especially if research has shown results that social interaction in academia is important.

I saw someone arguing for ISTJ due to his heavy reliance on factual data to back his views. But I get the impression the facts are merely a means to an end and presented in service of his intuition based insights.
If this is true, either ISTJ or INTJ would probably be the best bet. As I said, take this with a huge pinch of salt as I'd have to read more about him to get a full idea of his type.

I know about his idea of a "Language Acquisition Device", which I would lean towards being an Ni-Te idea/concept.
Noam Chomsky, a pioneering linguist and a professor at MIT, put forth an idea called the language acquisition device or LAD, for short. The LAD is a hypothetical tool hardwired into the brain that helps children rapidly learn and understand language. Chomsky used it to explain just how amazingly children are able to acquire language abilities as well as accounting for the innate understanding of grammar and syntax all children possess.
 

Virtual ghost

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I am not expert on the guy but I would say INTP. I just don't see any serious level of J in the guy. Ti/Fe type almost surely.
 

Doctor Cringelord

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Now I don't know too much about Chomsky himself besides what was covered in my A Level English Language class - so not much. But what I will say is emphasis on the importance of social interaction doesn't necessarily rule out IxTJ. It seems like a pretty Je thing in general to emphasise, but I don't see it being specific to Fe. Especially if research has shown results that social interaction in academia is important.


If this is true, either ISTJ or INTJ would probably be the best bet. As I said, take this with a huge pinch of salt as I'd have to read more about him to get a full idea of his type.

I know about his idea of a "Language Acquisition Device", which I would lean towards being an Ni-Te idea/concept.

I love that he basically proposed Universal Translators from Star Trek
 

Siúil a Rúin

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I think he is an extreme INTP. Almost archetypal.

- - - Updated - - -

I was married to two different INTP for a total of 20 years, and their best aspects were extremely Chomsky like.
 

Doctor Cringelord

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I think he is an extreme INTP. Almost archetypal.

- - - Updated - - -

I was married to two different INTP for a total of 20 years, and their best aspects were extremely Chomsky like.

did they have that same dry monotone when they spoke?
 

Siúil a Rúin

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did they have that same dry monotone when they spoke?
The first one had very dead-pan humor and the second was more animated, but it is the hyper focus on a logical system that is very separated into idea space that seems hyper-Ti to me. Chomsky is an extremely high intelligence version of Ti and each type can seem different depending on level of intelligence.

The INTP Ne does provide play, perhaps a more animated style in some cases when it is stronger, but I would say that focused Ti can seem kinda dry to outsiders because it is so focused on pure reason. I remember a thread I made on imagination and some of the INTPs shared this very esoteric, dry, logical place that they would go that is not relatable to a lot of other types. I can see how Chomsky seems to have Te as well because he annotates every detail providing sources for absolutely everything he says, but Ti can be exhaustive like that a well, and I think moreso when combined with Ne.

The second INTP I was with read all.the.time. He carried an iPad even to the bathroom, bed, walking down the hall. He was extremely intelligent and lived entirely in the world of idea space. He would talk exhaustively and at length about an idea leaving no detail left out. The persistence, focus, and relentlessness of how he approached a topic could wear me out listening. It's a different idea hyper focus than what I get from TJs. I had a former BIL who was an INTJ who loved to debate, sometimes as play to frustrate people, but there is a different sort of separation from the concrete world. His focus tended to involve the concrete world or think in applications more and perhaps the ideas were less based on personal identity than in the INTP, although I'm not sure if all Ti-doms would admit that or not.

I know that TJs can have a kinda dry style but there is a difference. Chomsky seems focused on ideas in a way that doesn't factor in anything pragmatic like personal consequences. TJs are experts at navigating careers, whereas TPs focus on ideas, but it more easily places them at odds with the external world. Ti seems like the most esoteric function to me existing purely in idea space. Te can certainly be rigid, but more requiring evidence that a different approach will provide a better applied result.

I understand Te and Ti to negotiate differently with the external world. Te has more capacity to compromise or find pragmatic applications, to engage in negotiating its conclusions with the external world, whereas Ti seems to internalize a logical system more as actual identity and the notion of compromise with external systems or being required to find pragmatic applications can even be perceived as offensive.
 

Doctor Cringelord

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The first one had very dead-pan humor and the second was more animated, but it is the hyper focus on a logical system that is very separated into idea space that seems hyper-Ti to me. Chomsky is an extremely high intelligence version of Ti and each type can seem different depending on level of intelligence.

The INTP Ne does provide play, perhaps a more animated style in some cases when it is stronger, but I would say that focused Ti can seem kinda dry to outsiders because it is so focused on pure reason. I remember a thread I made on imagination and some of the INTPs shared this very esoteric, dry, logical place that they would go that is not relatable to a lot of other types. I can see how Chomsky seems to have Te as well because he annotates every detail providing sources for absolutely everything he says, but Ti can be exhaustive like that a well, and I think moreso when combined with Ne.

The second INTP I was with read all.the.time. He carried an iPad even to the bathroom, bed, walking down the hall. He was extremely intelligent and lived entirely in the world of idea space. He would talk exhaustively and at length about an idea leaving no detail left out. The persistence, focus, and relentlessness of how he approached a topic could wear me out listening. It's a different idea hyper focus than what I get from TJs. I had a former BIL who was an INTJ who loved to debate, sometimes as play to frustrate people, but there is a different sort of separation from the concrete world. His focus tended to involve the concrete world or think in applications more and perhaps the ideas were less based on personal identity than in the INTP, although I'm not sure if all Ti-doms would admit that or not.

I know that TJs can have a kinda dry style but there is a difference. Chomsky seems focused on ideas in a way that doesn't factor in anything pragmatic like personal consequences. TJs are experts at navigating careers, whereas TPs focus on ideas, but it more easily places them at odds with the external world. Ti seems like the most esoteric function to me existing purely in idea space. Te can certainly be rigid, but more requiring evidence that a different approach will provide a better applied result.

I understand Te and Ti to negotiate differently with the external world. Te has more capacity to compromise or find pragmatic applications, to engage in negotiating its conclusions with the external world, whereas Ti seems to internalize a logical system more as actual identity and the notion of compromise with external systems or being required to find pragmatic applications can even be perceived as offensive.

Do you have a link to the imagination thread?
 
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