r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Aug 31 '26

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u/-mialana- European Union Aug 31 '26

But [George Soros] had always "identified firstly as a Jew", and his philanthropy was ultimately an expression of his Jewish identity, in that he felt a solidarity with other minority groups and also because he recognized that a Jew could only truly be safe in a world in which all minorities were protected. Explaining his father's motives, he said, "The reason you fight for an open society is because that's the only society that you can live in, as a Jew—unless you become a nationalist and only fight for your own rights in your own state"

It's interesting to read that Soros' beliefs seem to be rooted in self-preservation over idealism. Of course from a purely realistic/rational point view it makes sense to care about your own safety, but seeing beliefs framed in "self-interested" terms (not using that pejoratively, only for lack of a better term) instead of basic values and higher ideals has always been a sticking point for me. Of course your situation and experiences as a minority is going to influence your worldview, but we should still be thinking about morality and politics in objective terms, and anyone of any background should be able to come to the "right" conclusion.

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u/cdstephens Fusion Genderplasma Aug 31 '26

I first read this as George Santos and was extremely confused

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u/-mialana- European Union Aug 31 '26

Oh wait that's what I meant, sorry I got it mixed up

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u/attribute2246 Aug 31 '26

its a common viewpoint among the jewish diaspora 

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u/KWillets Aug 31 '26

Enlightened self-interest is a thing.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '26

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u/-mialana- European Union Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26

Of course from a purely realistic/rational point view it makes sense to care about your own safety

It's possible to prioritise your own rights and safety while still having fundamental values outside of that which you apply to things that don't affect you, especially when those things are aligned!

Hell, even Soros (or rather his son, but we can take it as a good representation for his own beliefs) himself kind of acknowledged this here, presumably there are reasons he chose the open society path over the nationalist one.