except for sdai's rants, i'd never heard of george soros, before, but tb's
post yesterday ("George Soros launches a $50 million dollar effort to purge economics of its free market zeal") inspired me to look into the man. I read his wiki bio and then systematically plowed my way through the financial times lecture ( http://www.ft.com/indepth/soros-lectures ).
it was a real eye opener! soros has succeeded in developing a cogent and useful critique of modern finance capitalism without having to reflexively resort to the usual hostile marxist harangues and their stale anachronisms and cliches. and i can see why he has become anathema to the "market fundamentalists". he is both enthusiastic and sympathetic about free markets, without being a sycophant before them. combined with his clear and direct analysis, this makes him a very dangerous man, to extremists of both left and right.

soros has succeeded in organizing and articulating a lot of the unfocussed suspicions i've had about the relationship between economics and politics, and it's not just theoretical hand-waving: he has not only been a victim of communist tyranny, he is also a highly successful financier. he cannot be summarily dismissed as a starry-eyed dreamer or economic illiterate. i am convinced his synthesis can form a truly humane alternative to our current economic and political gridlock.

my thanks to tb and sdai for opening my eyes to this remarkable man. and don't just take my word for it, or any one elses. take the time to read the lecture tb linked to. it may change your life.

edit: my comments above refer to the fourth lecture "capitalism vs the open society" i am now reading the other soros lectures linked to on that web page, that lead up to it. i cannot recommend this too highly.