While questions may be raised about the poll criteria, there is little doubt that Chomsky indeed deserves the honour. The MIT-based theorist, intellectual and author first came to the world attention as a linguist with his path-breaking theory of grammar. His Syntactic Structures revolutionised the study of language.

But it is his political views and writings that really established Chomsky as the voice of the world’s conscience and added to his international standing as the champion of freedom and justice for those who cannot fight for themselves. From Vietnam to Iraq, Chomsky has been fighting his war against imperialism and global hegemony for the past four decades.

Interestingly, Chomsky has waged this ‘crusade against US hegemony’ based in Massachusetts, America. Which says something about the tradition of tolerance and respect for dissent still prevalent in the American society.