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Amazon.co.uk Review
George Soros has been at the cutting edge of the new global capitalism ever since bringing the pound to its knees in the early 1990s, and his deification as something of a financial guru with the publication of his economic and political philosophy in his 1998 book The Crisis of Global Capitalism. Open Society: Reforming Global Capitalism is, as Soros concedes, an updated version of this earlier book, but now offering a much more upbeat vision of the future of the global economy. Soros admits that "in retrospect, I was wrong to predict disaster", having underestimated both "the capacity of the financial authorities to prevent a disaster", and "the impact of the technological revolution". Refreshing in admitting his miscalculations, Open Society sees Soros expanding on his belief in Karl Popper's concept of an open society, and offers "a conceptual framework" for "the guiding principles for a global open society".
In many respects Soros follows the reforming positions of John Gray's chilling book False Dawn, but here is a practitioner, not an economist, exploring the possibilities but also pitfalls of developing a truly democratic and open global society, through both debate and the practical work of his own foundations across the globe. The first section entitled "Conceptual Framework" is heavy-going economics, but the second half of the book on "The Present Moment in History" contains fascinating accounts of the chaos in Russia and the financial crisis of 1997-99 from the horse's mouth, concluding with the call for the formation of what Soros calls "The Open Society Alliance". Open Society represents the intelligent, benign face of global capitalism. Let's hope Soros is right. --Jerry Brotton
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'An authentic financial genius' SPECTATOR 'The Chieftain of market speculators...Soros is a financial genius' SUNDAY TIMES 'His success has been unparalleled in the history of finance' THE TIMES 'One of the finest economic thinkers of this age.' IRELAND ON SUNDAY 'Soros has produced another thought-provoking book and has again put this mouth where his money is.' IRISH TIMES 'The symptoms are hard to ignore. First the Thai crisis precipitated the currency collapse in Asia. Next the Russian meltdown inflicted temporary chaos on the Western financial system. And the recent volatility of the world's stock markets has caused most investors a lot more than heartburn. The connection? According to billionaire philanthropist George Soros, there's a profound and dangerous imbalance between the explosive growth of the global economy and the development of a free and open society. In The Crisis of Global Capitalism, Soros argues that in the last 20 years, the emergence of "market fundamentalism"--that is, the idea that markets need only be regulated by the forces of profit and competition--has distorted the role of capital to the extent that it "is today a greater threat to open society than any totalitarian ideology." Not that Soros advocates the demise of the capitalist system. On the contrary, Soros himself has made billions on Wall Street, and it's his aim to save capitalism from itself. While his theory of reflexivity reads a bit thick, his analysis of our present financial system is lucid and convincing. If wondering about the stability of today's markets keeps you up at night, then put this book at your bedside. Highly recommended.' - Harry C. Edwards, AMAZON.COM
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The concept of open society is based on the recognition that our understanding of the world is inherently imperfect. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The concept of open society is based on the recognition that our understanding of the world is inherently imperfect. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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