May 10, 2008
George Soros’s Pseudo-philosophical Twitterings
Emperor Soros’s new clothes, by Matthew Lynn
“George Soros would like to be known as a thinker of stature. But is he actually saying anything worth hearing? In reality, Soros gets away with a lot on account of being very rich. He is, without question, a superbly incisive investor, one of the best of his generation in the world, but as a writer and thinker his work varies from the incomprehensible to the plain weird. Put his views under a microscope and it’s surprising anyone takes them seriously at all.
At the heart of his argument is the concept of ‘reflexivity’, which means that ‘our thinking actively influences the events in which we participate and about which we think,’ according to his own definition. He makes very grand claims for the theory, linking it to quantum mechanics (from which the Quantum Fund gets its name), and attempting to establish that it explains not just the markets but, well, pretty much everything. At the core is the notion that what we think about things changes according to the way events unfold. The trouble is, it’s a pretty mundane thought, dressed up in a lot of pseudo-philosophical language.
The convulsions in the global markets do need serious analysis, but Soros’s abstruse undergraduate twitterings add little to the debate. ‘I have been fortunate in making a lot of money and spending it well,’ Soros writes. ‘But I have always wanted to be a philosopher, and finally I may have become one.’ In a sense that’s true. Just not a very good one. And, as Soros himself appears to sense, if it weren’t for the money, no one would be very interested in the philosophy.”
Every intelligent person who has read any of Soros’s books knows this already. But Lynn is overly harsh on Soros — at least he’s trying to be a deep thinker, which you can’t say for most people, rich or poor. Soros will always have my respect for his early opposition to the war in Iraq.
– via controlledgreed.com –
May 10th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
The guy doesn’t understand what Soros means by reflexivity, which is about the feedback between expectations and fundamentals. Soros’ thoughts are nowhere near as deep and original as Soros likes to think but on the other hand they are nowhere near as shallow as critics like this think.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
If you listen to Soros in interviews lately, he’s always stating the totally obvious. And his book (at least the one I read) sucked.
I think he just picks good people to work with (i.e. Jim Rogers - who Soros refuses to acknowledge), because he seems to have very little original insight.
May 10th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Short Lynn, long Soros. There are very few billionaires (who made their own billions) who are not deep thinkers.
May 10th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Soros has not yet figured out how to put what he knows(senses, feels, insights) into writings. A very difficult task indeed.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:01 am
“At the heart of his argument is the concept of ‘reflexivity’, which means that ‘our thinking actively influences the events in which we participate and about which we think,’ according to his own definition. He makes very grand claims for the theory, linking it to quantum mechanics (from which the Quantum Fund gets its name), and attempting to establish that it explains not just the markets but, well, pretty much everything.”
What is wrong with what Soros said? I see nothing wrong with it and it makes alot of sense. Quantum mechanics do explain the markets. It is also true that planetary alignments also influence the markets.
Soros is into ‘New Age’ (aka very forward thinkers, imo) stuff. What your local hippie knows is what “science” eventually catches up to with time. lol
May 11th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Yes. Being opposed to Iraq early on absolves all idiots from any blame for anything. In all 57 states.
Soros is unwelcome in half the globe, so he can’t be all wrong, but he and Jimmy Rogers really should both be in Singapore in their dotage. The fact that idiots make and keep some of their money doesn’t mean they were ever intelligent. Think lottery tickets and marketing BS.
May 11th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Tom D.: I sense some anger and frustration. :-)
May 12th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Yes, I need to re-read Krishnamurti’s “Freedom From The Known” for the 24th time. (Really!) Take my petulance as advice that others read it too. ;)
May 12th, 2008 at 10:43 am
One never knows what you are reading about O b B’s campaign. Perhaps “57 states” won’t have been noted there. But I also note his campaign icon is gone from here…. Cheers!
May 12th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Tom D: I removed the Obama link because everyone I know has already donated the maximum allowable. Once Billary drops out we can focus on dealing with doddering McCain and his large blonde nursemaid (she guides his shaky backside onto the John once an hour I hear).
May 13th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Hello,
Are you all o.k. from earthquake - very bad - headlines in USA. Maybe post some way to contribute if possible.
Thx
May 13th, 2008 at 5:59 am
bbc: We’re fine, thanks. Maybe donate to the Int’l Red Cross?