Movie: The Chomsky - Foucault Debate: On Human Nature

Top 2 Billed Cast

Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky

Himself

Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault

Himself

  • HomePage

  • Overview

    The Chomsky–Foucault debate was a debate about human nature, between Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault in the Netherlands, in November 1971. Chomsky and Foucault were invited by the Dutch philosopher Fons Elders to discuss an age-old question: "is there such a thing as 'innate' human nature independent of our experiences and external influences?"

  • Release Date

    1971-06-05

  • Average

    7.5

  • Rating:

    3.8 starts
  • Tagline

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    NederlandsEnglishFrançais
  • Keywords

Recommendations Movies

Night Will Fall
76%

Night Will Fall(en)

2014-06-07

When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries were recorded by army and newsreel cameramen, revealing for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information’s Sidney Bernstein (later founder of Granada Television) aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis’ unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including editor Stewart McAllister, writer and future cabinet minister Richard Crossman – and, as treatment advisor, his friend Alfred Hitchcock. Yet, despite initial support from the British and US Governments, the film was shelved, and only now, 70 years on, has it been restored and completed by Imperial War Museums under its original title "German Concentration Camps Factual Survey".

Zeitgeist: Moving Forward
71%

Zeitgeist: Moving Forward(en)

2011-01-15

A presentation of a case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society. This subject matter will transcend the issues of cultural relativism and traditional ideology and move to relate the core, empirical 'life ground' attributes of human and social survival, extrapolating those immutable natural laws into a new sustainable social paradigm called a 'Resource-Based Economy'.

Best of Enemies
72%

Best of Enemies(en)

2015-07-31

A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers, and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, "What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?"

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
73%

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God(en)

2012-11-16

Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.

Room 666
66%

Room 666(en)

1982-06-02

During the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, Wim Wenders asked a number of global film directors to, one at a time, go into a hotel room, turn on the camera, and answer a simple question: "What is the future of cinema?"

Fuck
64%

Fuck(en)

2006-11-10

A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.

Seduced and Abandoned
62%

Seduced and Abandoned(en)

2013-05-20

SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.

John Candy: I Like Me
79%

John Candy: I Like Me(en)

2025-09-04

Those who knew iconic funnyman John Candy best share his story, in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.

Downloaded
65%

Downloaded(en)

2013-06-20

A documentary that explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were affected by it, and its impact on the world at large.

Get Me Roger Stone
70%

Get Me Roger Stone(en)

2017-04-23

From his days of testifying at the Watergate hearings to advising recent presidential candidate Donald Trump, Roger Stone has long offended people on both sides of the political fence as a force in conservative America. Outspoken author, pundit, ahead of his time election strategist, this is his story.

A Decade Under the Influence
79%

A Decade Under the Influence(en)

2003-04-25

A documentary examining the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential directors of that time.

Gilbert
67%

Gilbert(en)

2017-04-20

The life and career of one of comedy's most inimitable modern voices, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried.

That's Entertainment!
74%

That's Entertainment!(en)

1974-06-21

Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.

Looking for Richard
68%

Looking for Richard(en)

1996-10-11

Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."

Hitchcock/Truffaut
73%

Hitchcock/Truffaut(en)

2015-09-05

Filmmakers discuss the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock and the book “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (“Le cinéma selon Hitchcock”), written by François Truffaut and published in 1966.

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski
75%

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski(en)

2018-12-20

Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.

Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home
68%

Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home(en)

2022-05-03

JB Smoove and Martin Starr host a celebration of 20 years of "Spider-Man" movies, from the Sam Raimi trilogy to Marc Webb's movies and the trio from Jon Watts.

The Class of ‘92
71%

The Class of ‘92(en)

2013-12-01

A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.

Naqoyqatsi
61%

Naqoyqatsi(en)

2002-09-02

A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

Zero Days
74%

Zero Days(en)

2016-07-08

Alex Gibney explores the phenomenon of Stuxnet, a self-replicating computer virus discovered in 2010 by international IT experts. Evidently commissioned by the US and Israeli governments, this malware was designed to specifically sabotage Iran’s nuclear programme. However, the complex computer worm ended up not only infecting its intended target but also spreading uncontrollably.

Similar Movies

The Last Debate
0%

The Last Debate(en)

1986-01-23

Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin were both on the leading edge of protest in the 1960’s. Rubin became an entrepreneur and the chief spokesman for the Baby Boom generation. Hoffman remained active in environmental issues and grass roots politics, maintaining his anti-establishment stance until the end of his life. The 1986 debate featured in this one-hour video was the “final” debate for these two eloquent speakers, following 18 months of touring North America. Though many years had passed since their heyday as counterculture icons, thousands flocked to auditoriums to hear the opinions of Hoffman – idealistic, unrelenting champion for truth and justice – and Rubin – ‘the pragmatic voice of the new right’.

1944: Should We Bomb Auschwitz?
75%

1944: Should We Bomb Auschwitz?(it)

2019-09-19

In 1944, two prisoners miraculously escaped from Auschwitz. They told the world of the horror of the Holocaust and raised one of the greatest moral questions of the 20th century.

Uncensored Science: Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham
48%

Uncensored Science: Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham(en)

2014-02-04

Bill Nye and Ken Ham debate whether creation is a viable model of origins in today's modern scientific era.

The Secret Life of Brian
76%

The Secret Life of Brian(en)

2007-01-01

A documentary about the making of the controversial Life of Brian and the surrounding accusations of blasphemy.

The Fate of America
100%

The Fate of America(fr)

1997-04-16

Two well-known Quebec artists (filmmaker Jacques Godbout and playwright René-Daniel Dubois) look at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Whose version of this historic event should prevail? Is history best served by documentary or fiction? We also meet Baron Georges Savarin de Marestan and Andrew Wolfe-Burroughs, direct descendants of Montcalm and Wolfe, both of whom died in the battle that would give birth to Canada and to the province of Quebec.

Is This Sexual Harassment?
0%

Is This Sexual Harassment?(en)

2019-01-13

Social experiment hosted by journalist and presenter Ben Zand in which a group of people come together to try to understand what constitutes sexual harassment.

Best of Enemies
72%

Best of Enemies(en)

2015-07-31

A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers, and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, "What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?"

Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover
84%

Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover(en)

2023-10-10

Compulsive Twitterer, Elon Musk bought himself his favorite social network in 2022, and brutally shaped it according to his desires. This punchy investigation relates the stormy relations between the platform and the billionaire, and their impact on the public debate.

Town Bloody Hall
55%

Town Bloody Hall(en)

1979-04-03

Norman Mailer and a panel of feminists — Jacqueline Ceballos, Germaine Greer, Jill Johnston, and Diana Trilling — debate the issue of Women's Liberation.

The God Delusion Debate
55%

The God Delusion Debate(en)

2007-10-03

On October 3rd of 2007 in Birmingham, Alabama, Professor Richard Dawkins and his Oxford University colleague Professor John Lennox engaged in a lively debate over what is arguably the most critical question of our time: the existence of God. The debate centered on Dawkins's views as expressed in his best-seller, The God Delusion, and their validity over and against the Christian faith. Both presenters agreed to the format and topics of discussion. It was one of the great debates of the last 100 years and is well worth watching and studying.

Ableism in São Paulo
0%

Ableism in São Paulo(pt)

2024-11-05

Through intimate stories and day-to-day routines we get a naturalistic glimpse into the lives of individuals with disabilities in the bustling urban landscape of São Paulo. The film captures personal moments and how modern societies confront (or fail to confront) ableism and inclusion.

Cecil
0%

Cecil(en)

2026-02-19

In 2015 a lion in Zimbabwe named Cecil was killed by Walter Palmer, an American dentist, provoking a global outcry. The story of Cecil’s death turns the gaze back on to us and our behaviour. The simplicity of the outrage is a stark contrast to the complexity of the reality.

Spin
70%

Spin(en)

1995-10-05

Pirated satellite feeds revealing U.S. media personalities’ contempt for their viewers come full circle in Spin. TV out-takes appropriated from network satellite feeds unravel the tightly-spun fabric of television—a system that silences public debate and enforces the exclusion of anyone outside the pack of journalists, politicians, spin doctors, and televangelists who manufacture the news. Spin moves through the L.A. riots and the floating TV talk-show called the 1992 U.S. presidential election.

Human, All Too Human
0%

Human, All Too Human(en)

1999-02-17

European philosophers: Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre. The theme revolves heavily around the school of philosophical thought known as Existentialism, although the term had not been coined at the time of Nietzsche's writing and Heidegger declaimed the label. The documentary is named after the 1878 book written by Nietzsche, titled Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits.

The Last Days of Anne Boleyn
100%

The Last Days of Anne Boleyn(en)

2013-05-23

Writers and historians including Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory revisit the last days of Anne Boleyn, who in 1536 became the first queen in British history to be executed.

Girl Talk
65%

Girl Talk(en)

2022-05-01

Set in the cutthroat, boy-dominated world of high school debate where tomorrow’s leaders are groomed, GIRL TALK tells the timely story of five girls on a diverse, top-ranked Massachusetts high school debate team as they strive to become the best debaters in the United States on their own terms.

What Is a Good Tax?
60%

What Is a Good Tax?(fr)

2019-05-08

Too high, misused, unfair... a large part of the French and Europeans criticize taxes. From tax-rascal to tax revolt, the movement of yellow vests in France has returned to the center of attention the question of consent to tax. How to explain a different resistance to taxes from one country to another without tax pressure being an explanation? Is there a "good" tax? Jean Quatremer takes us on a journey to the tax center across Europe, to meet those who pay it, those who decide it, those who study it... or those who allow to avoid it.

Comprehensive School
0%

Comprehensive School(en)

1962-03-13

The joys of 1960s modern education - as seen at a not-exactly-typical local comp.

Debaters Go Belgrade
0%

Debaters Go Belgrade(en)

2010-10-23

A visual notebook created during the international debate tournament Belgrade Open 2010 in Belgrade, Serbia.