<table><tr><th>From:</th><th>Noam Chomsky</th></tr><tr><td>Sent:</td><td>Thursday, December 7, 2017 4:30 PM</td></tr><tr><td>To:</td><td>Jeffrey E.; Valeria Chomsky</td></tr><tr><td>Subject:</td><td>Re:</td></tr></table>

On vision, I know of some evidence that social interaction=(mother-neonate) facilitates depth perception, but it's years ago.4>=A0 Maybe there is more now. But the experimental work has been with =solated individuals (kittens, mainly, I think), and seems to yield normal =ision with early patterned stimulation. Let's talk about it some=day.

I've thought about your suggestion. I th=nk it's better to do it step by step, not bringing up issues of legal =mplications unless it's necessary. I'll write them renewing =he request to replace Max by Richard Kahn, along the lines that we discuss=d by phone: that I simply can't trust Max and want someone trustworthy= I'd also like to give the gist of the memo, in particular that =he marital trust is designed for those who established it, the IRA as back=p.

Noam

On Thu, Dec 7, 2017 at 4:03 AM, Jeffrey E. <jee=acation@gmail.com <mailto:jeevacation@gmail.com> > wrote:

=div dir="ltr">

like the military, can be goo= for an individual . but needs a group. Q=A0 I think "understanding" might be similar as a gro=p function as the visual system is for the individual. . =it needs collective input and then with a recursive interations focu=es on a concept

you should have the call w=th your children asap. feel free to send them debras mem= so they see what you see. her privlege argument m=kes no sense. you WANT the other side to see your =ustifications for your position. she is just trying to s=ay out of the mix. as she has done virtually nothing to =et you what you clearly are entitiled to. shameful

</=iv>

On T=u, Dec 7, 2017 at 1:52 AM, Noam Chomsky <a wrote:

If done prop=rly, like offering free and creative opportunities for kids, I think it ca= be good for the individual.

And with your immense help= for which I can't express enough gratitude, we're working our way=through it I think

On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 9:09 PM,=jeffrey E. <jeevacation@gmail.com <mailto:jeevacation@gmail.com> > wrote:

no question in my mind that it is a h=ge benefit for the group. but my conjecture is that it i= not necessarily good for the individual. . like b=ing a hero ( throwing yourself on a grenade ) . good for=the group not so good for the hero. . =s writing forces a linear slow pace. I wonder if in a large po=ulation , handwriting wiill be

<u>On</u> Wed Dec 6 2017 at 10:51PM, Noam Chomsky
> wrote:

<=iv dir="Itr">Good to have a fun note.

I suspect that =orcing children to do anything is probably harmful. But it's pos=ible to introduce writing and (secondarily) reading in a way that seems to=enhance thinking. That's the idea behind "invented spelling=quot; (here's a link to some of the work: https://pages.wustl.edu/filesAages/imce/treiman/Read%20%26%20Treiman_Childrens_Invented_Spelli=g_final.pdf <https://page=.wustl.edu/files/pages/imce/treiman/Read%20%26%20Treiman_Childrens Invente=_Spelling_final.pdf> ). Back in the early '50s, a philosopher friend o= mine (Israel Scheffler) brought me some pages on which his two-year old s=n had written things that he thought were gibberish, wondering if I could =ake something of it. It was immediately obvious that the kind had le=rned the names of the letters and was spontaneously stringing them togethe= to express himself in writing. And making interesting generalizatio=s. Thus the letter "A", pronounced /ey/, he used for the w=rds "came," "pet", "pat"; the letter "i=quot;, pronounced /ay/, he used for "pie", "pot," &quo=;butr . And so on. It all made sense. Our kids did the s=me thing. Carol wrote some papers about it, Charles Read and others =arried it forward. Turns out to be a great way to teach reading too.=Kids spontaneously express themselves, often in creative way, and the tran=ition to official orthography is not that difficult now that they have the=general idea.

There's a debate about it in ed=cational circles, and though I haven't followed it, my impression is t=at old-fashioned forcing into a mold probably wins out, undermining the jo= of self-expression and possibly reading.

As you may know, G=lileo regarded invention of the alphabet as among the greatest of all huma= inventions. Can do no better than quote his own words. He regarded =he invention of the alphabet as "surpassing all stupendous inventions," asking =E2$4what sublimity of mind was his who dreamed of finding means to communicate his deepest though=s to any other person, though distant by mighty intervals of place and time! =f talking with those who are in India; of speaking to those who are not yet b=rn and will not be born for a thousand or ten thousand years; and with what facility, by the different arrangements of twenty characters upon a page!=E2.0

Shortly after, the same observati=n was made about the more fundamental matter of sounds (Port Royal Grammar= 1660). I discovered all of this about 50 years ago and wrote about =t. Unknown then, still unknown, in my view some of the most profound=insights in the human sciences.

Smart guys, the f=unders of modern science.

On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 5:48 AM, Jeffrey E. &=t;jeevacation@g=ail.com <mailto:jeevacation@gmail.com» wrote:

on a more fun note. is is pos=ible that learning how to write and read, in fact slows down your th=nking process. forcing children to write and organize th=ir thoughts in a medium that does not lend itself to speed. is=not natural?

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, and

destroy this communication and all cop=es thereof, including all attachments. copyright -all rights reserved

=AO

please note

The information=contained in this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client=privileged, may constitute inside information, and is intended only for=br>the use of the addressee. It is the property of JEE

Unauthorized =se, disclosure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is =trictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this co=munication in error, please notify us immediately by return e-mail or b= e-mail to jeev=cation@gmail.com <mailto:jeevacation@gmail.com> , and destroy this communication and all copies the=eof, including all attachments. copyright -all rights reserved

plea=e note

The information contained in this communication is confi=ential, may be attorney-client privileged, may constitute inside inform=tion, and is intended only for the use of the addressee. It is the prop=rty of JEE

Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this commun=cation or any part thereof is strictly prohibited

and may be unlawful. =f you have received this communication in error, please notify us immed=ately by return e-mail or by e-mail to jeevacation@gmail.com <mailto:jeevacation@gm=il.com> , and destroy this c=mmunication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. copyrigh= -all rights reserved