The age of fallibility

The Age of Fallibility
Consequences of the War on Terror

by George Soros Copyright © 2006 by George Soros Published by Public Affairs, a member of Perseus Books LLC 278 pages

Focus
Leadership & Management Strategy Sales & Marketing Finance Human Resources IT, Production & Logistics Career Development Small Business Economics & Politics Industries Intercultural Management Concepts & TrendsTake-Aways
• The “correspondence theory of truth” is based on separating thought and reality. • Trying to influence the world is a “participating function.” • Trying to understand the world is a “cognitive function.” • “Reflexivity,” the interaction of these two functions, is based on expectations about how a situation will develop or be resolved. • Scientific philosopher Karl Popper saidthat the gap between truth and reality shapes national ideology, but identifying that disconnection is difficult. • That is, people use what they know – whether it is accurate or not – to define their version of the truth about how everything works. • This imperfect understanding is part of human consciousness and learning. • A society based on freedom and fallibility is an “open society.” • The U.S.is an open society, but President George W. Bush’s administration has preyed on the public‘s fears. Meanwhile, the Iraq war has jeopardized U.S. security. • Bush’s ideology is based on market and religious fundamentalism, and the neoconservative view that America is the best country in the world.

Rating (10 is best)
Overall 8 Importance 7 Innovation 8 Style 8

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Relevance
What You Will Learn In this Abstract, you will learn: 1) What the concept of“reflexivity” implies about world affairs; 2) What the pluses and minuses of an “open society” are; and 3) How America can regain international stature. Recommendation Self-made billionaire George Soros offers a dense, philosophical and theoretical book about the state of the United States and the world. Whether you like Soros’ politics or not, he speaks as a caring, major figure in investments, politicsand philanthropy, where his strategies are well conceived and academically founded. This book covers the theoretical foundations of his political philosophy, and his concerns about democracy and open societies. He describes his vision for a better world, and talks about what his foundations are doing to fulfill that vision. Soros also talks very personally about his family background, hisexperiences with persecution and his struggle to reach the top, having arrived in London as a penniless refugee. He also explains how he recognized the investment opportunities that made him a billionaire. This highly unusual political and economic treatise is a glimpse inside an extraordinary contrarian mind. Agree with him or not, getAbstract thinks you will find that Soros is interesting company. (As istrue of every Abstract, the following views are those of the author and not of getAbstract.)

Abstract
The Power of Thought Each person has a vision of reality that is defined and limited by how he or she thinks and acquires knowledge. Deeply rooted ideas may hinder your objectivity, though you can’t measure how much. Science is uncovering a lot of new information about the workings of...