More lists

One of these is not like the others. One of these does not belong.

He is in his 70s and first became known for his theory of transformational grammar - and now he is top of the thinkers' hit parade. Noam Chomsky, the linguistics professor who has become one of the most outspoken critics of US foreign policy, has won a poll that names him as the world's top public intellectual.

Chomsky, who was underwhelmed by the honour, beat off challenges from Umberto Eco, Richard Dawkins, Vaclav Havel and Christopher Hitchens to win the Prospect/Foreign Policy poll.

Give up? Okay, what's a pugnacious, supercilious, sot-soaked has-been doing on a list that includes world-class thinkers like Richard Dawkins?