Information about the Authors

Noam Chomsky has been a professor in Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Chomsky has written and lectured widely on linguistics, philosophy, intellectual history, contemporary issues, international affairs and U.S. foreign policy. He has received many distinguished awards and fellowships including a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Science, the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award of the American Psychological Association, the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, the Ben Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science, and others.

Laurie Calhoun is the author of Philosophy Unmasked: a skeptic's critique (1997) and many essays and articles in ethics and epistemology. She has made a number of public presentations, including "The Fragility of Trust," at the University of Florida as well as chairing sessions and serving as a commentator at a number of conferences. Currently she is associated with the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet was born in 1935 and was enthroned as the fourteenth Dalai Lama in 1940. In 1959, following the Chinese suppression of the Tibetan national uprising, he was forced to move to India and currently resides in Dharamsala where the temporary headquarters of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile is located.  The Dalai Lama has consistently opposed the use of violence in the struggle to regain the Tibetan people's freedom while committing himself to finding a peaceful resolution. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, His Holiness is today universally acknowledged as one of the world's foremost spiritual leaders. Among his many books, the latest is An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life.

Johan Galtung is a Professor of Peace Studies and Director of TRANSCEND: A Peace and Development Network.  Professor Galtung is one of the founding figures of the field and has taught at many universities worldwide. He has also written numerous books, all of which have contributed to the development of peace and conflict research.

Amr G.E. Sabet is the visiting Docent at the department of Social Sciences, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden, on a grant offered by The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Studies (STINT).