Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. He is widely known as one of the fathers of modern linguistics and is credited with the creation of the theory of generative grammar. He has written over 100 books on topics such as linguistics, philosophy, politics, and mass media. He is also a major figure in analytic philosophy and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. Chomsky is a professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is currently a Laureate Professor at the University of Arizona. He is considered to be one of the most influential intellectuals alive today.