The Village Square

More than what they see: George Soros

December 2nd, 2008

“I am aware that I am less than some people prefer me to be. But most people are unaware that I am so much more than what they see.” - Douglas Pagels.

One error we make that propels our incivility is the tendency to paint other human beings, notably those with whom we disagree, with too broad a brush.

In a discussion on the recent dive in the stock market, Bill Moyers had an interesting conversation with George Soros, the man the hard right in American politics loves to hate. Soros has written “The New Paradigm for the Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What it Means”. Soros, having lived through the rise of fascism in Germany has been sounding an alarm for a number of years now. Contrary to portraits of him that paint him as an extremist, Soros encapsulated his philosophy this way:

Both Marxism and market fundamentalism are false ideologies. I think the only [ideology that isn't false] is… the recognition that all our ideas, all our human constructs have a flaw in them and perfection is not attainable. And we must engage in critical thinking and correct our mistakes.

If you’ve got quotes from Soros that sound less moderate, send them on…

Entry Filed under: "More than what they see", Civility 101, Lose the Ideology