460: George Soros and his political philosophy

The boys drink and review "Beast of Both Worlds," a "Bi-Coastal IPA" from Lagunitas. George Soros has become a whipping boy for the right. The man was born a Hungarian Jew and lived through both Naziism and communism, but made his respectable pile of money in the United States. P&C start off with a brief biography, but move on to speak about his underlying philosophy and the causes he promotes. Soros was deeply influenced by the philosophy of Karl Popper and his concept of open and closed societies. In an open society individuals are free to think and act independently with minimal government control. An open society has pluralism and tolerance, democratic governance, change and reform (because no one holds the ultimate truth), and a commitment to our own limitations (fallibilism). If giving to political causes qualifies a person as a philanthropist, Soros is a big one. His foundation supports ... * Democracy and human rights * Education * Criminal justice reform * Public health * LGBTQIDYSDLKSDH rights * Immigration and refugee support * Racial and social justice * Economic equity * Media freedom * Climate change and environmental protection All of these flow logically from his commitment to the "open society" concept, and Soros takes a very liberal stance on all these issues.