Noam Chomsky to appear on Second Life

What do you get if you mix the one of the world’s most important intellectuals with one of the net’s most popular virtual worlds? Noam Chomsky on Second Life is the answer.

Despite his 81 years, Professor Chomsky has always been one to try and embrace both new technologies and youth culture in his long history of political dissent and has taken the rather unusual step of appearing on Second Life. Chomsky has been invited by Metanomics, a weekly show which aims to look at the serious side of virtual worlds. Chomsky will be in conversation with host Robert Bloomfield and will take questions from other Second Life users. The event will take place Tuesday October 12th at 12:00 p.m. PST.

Jenn Forager of Metanomics told Chomsky Watch the event provides Second Life users with a rare chance to interact with a great mind within the virtual world:

One element of Second Life that never stops impressing me is the opportunity to not only hear but interact and pose questions to such thought leaders. We may be using the internet and an avatar to extend ourselves over the distance, but participating in such discussions is thrilling and allows the rare experience of speaking with remarkable people.

If you’re not a Second Life user but want to join in, the Metanomics site gives you details of how to get involved. Alternatively, you can watch a live broadcast of the event.