RoR: Forum

I have a hard time understanding Soros. He is extremely wealthy, all, I assume, from voluntary agreements. He IS a capitalist. I'd say he has never gotten away from being confused.

I understand, sort of, those liberal Hollywood types that tout leftist positions while making their money being 'stars' - they are more about being 'beautiful people' which requires being seen and heard doing politically correct things. The little squeaks and squawks they make are just silly noises. But Soros really hates free enterprise - ending it is a sincerely held, and hard-backed belief of his. He has been extraordinarily effective in his political manuverings - this is a dangerous man.

Post 1

Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 5:28pm

Soros made his money from speculation on international currency fluctuations - or perhaps it's more accurate to say speculation on central bankers. I wonder how much he would be worth if there were an international gold standard? In any case, that's certainly not capitalism.

Post 2

Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 7:55pm

I don't believe that Soros is confused. I believe that he is evil. He is operating from an anti-life philosophy.

Post 3

Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 8:01pm

If you would enjoy the idea of seeing Soros get his comeuppance, read Orson Scott Card's wonderful Empire and pay attention to the fate of his villain, Aldo Vera.

Post 4

Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 10:07pm

It is quite possible to be evil and confused, of course. And Soros resembles several of the characters in Rand's Atlas Shrugged, even one in The Fountainhead.

Post 5

Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 10:52pm

Well, while Soros may be confused there is no question that he is evil.

As my Carpathian grandmother used to say, never let a Magyar leave your home except through the door by which he entered. :)

Post 6

Sunday, November 1, 2009 - 10:44pm

If you would enjoy the idea of seeing Soros get his comeuppance, read Orson Scott Card's wonderful Empire and pay attention to the fate of his villain, Aldo Vera.

I thought that this was one of Card's weaker novels (which still makes it a pretty good novel). Ender's Game, Speaker For The Dead, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon ... I'd recommend reading all of those before tackling Empire.

Post 7

Sunday, November 1, 2009 - 11:18pm

Yes, leftists absolutely hate Empire. Read the reviews at Amazon. The one star reviews amount to high praise.

The Ender novels after Speaker for the Dead (one of the best SF books of all time) are based on explicit altruism and metaphysical drivel.

Post 8

Monday, November 2, 2009 - 8:58am

Soros's case is instructive because so many who comment on Ayn Rand insist on tying her views to her origins--the genetic fallacy. Now Soros had very similar origins, as did I, but Soros ended up hostile to freedom. So did many, many refugees from the Soviet bloc just as there are many, many champions of freedom who never shared Rand's or my history. In our time, though, it must always be something that explains one's views, some efficient causal factors. No original idea is acceptable since the metaphysical prejudice is materialist. Both of the recent books on Rand fit within this as do man of their reviews such as the one in The New York TImes Book Review on Sunday November 1st.

Post 9

Monday, November 2, 2009 - 9:18am

Tibor, have you read the full Anne Heller bio? I didn't like the first chapter as released on the net, and it does make the facile equation victim of the Soviets equals automatic hatred of tyranny, but hearing Heller speak I find I am quite sympathetic. I have requested that my library acquire both books, but I may go buy the Heller book in any case.

Post 10

Monday, November 2, 2009 - 8:13pm

I have only read about 50 pages but she came to hear me talk about Rand at the Atlas Society 50 anniversary of AS and I spoke directly about the genetic fallacy and how AR was vehemently opposed to committing it in her or anyone else's case. (When AR and I met in 1962 and I said, "Maybe I like your novels because I too hail from a communist country," she objected very vehemently!)

Post 11

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 - 3:20pm

I read a book by Soros. I don't remember the title, but in it he promotes his concept of reflexivity and harshly criticizes "perfect competition" as dogmatic and as if all economists agree with it. However, lots of economists have criticized it (link), especially the Austrian School in that it has no role for entrepreneurs.

Post 12

Friday, February 10, 2012 - 6:40pm

Soros has spent millions padding the pockets of rabid environmental groups in Canada as well in an attempt to sabotage natural resource developement. He is an evil man of deplorable depravity.

Post 13

Saturday, February 11, 2012 - 6:27pm