Are intellectuals really free? Chomsky, Parenti, and class power – ft. Gabriel Rockhill

Today we’re joined by Gabriel Rockhill – philosopher at Villanova University, political analyst, and author of the provocative recent book Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism? Rather than simply presenting the book, we use Rockhill’s method – what he calls the political economy of knowledge production, circulation, and consumption – to confront a question that has unsettled many on the left: how could Noam Chomsky appear so close to someone like Jeffrey Epstein? And more importantly: what does that reveal about how we should understand his work? Drawing on historical and dialectical materialism, Rockhill analyzes ideology by asking a deeper question: how free are intellectuals, really, in developing their theories? This also allows us to challenge a familiar accusation against Marxism – that it is nothing more than crude economic determinism, leaving no room for individual autonomy. To counter this, Rockhill invokes Michael Parenti’s powerful metaphor: freedom is real – but it is structured and bounded by class power. You are free to move… but only as far as the leash allows. It is precisely the contrast between Chomsky and Parenti that helps illuminate Rockhill’s thesis: why was one globally celebrated, widely promoted, institutionally protected – while the other was marginalized and never secured a permanent position in U.S. academia? If you think this is simply “guilt by association” – or that recognizing structural limits means dismissing an author entirely – think again. Watch the interview. And most importantly, read Gabriel Rockhill’s book.