Quote from George Soros lectures

A few definitions are in order to help understand the Soros terminology. (1) Soros proposes an attractive form of social organization: an OPEN SOCIETY in which people are free to hold divergent opinions and the rule of law allows people with different views and interests to live together in peace.(2) The principle of REFLEXIVITY. Distorted views can influence the situation to which they relate because false views lead to inappropriate actions. For instance, treating drug addicts as criminals creates criminal behavior. It misconstrues the problem and interferes with the proper treatment of addicts. Another example, declaring that government is bad tends to make for bad government. (3) To change the situation to your advantage, I call this the MANIPULATIVE function; politicians acting for their own good rather than the good of the country. Soros gave an explanation to these three terms in an earlier lecture than the one I am quoting below.

The following Soros remarks taken from his lecture "Open Society" given in the Central European University Lecture Series, October 26 - 30, 2009.

"A case can be found by reverting to the Founding Fathers, who formed their views long before the concept of open society was introduced. The Founding Fathers built their case on the value of individual freedom. The epistemological argument they employed was flawed: the Declaration of Independence states that "We hold these truths to be self-evident," but there is nothing self-evident about them. Self-evident or not, however, the value of individual freedom is enduring and, having been exposed to totalitarian regimes, I'm passionately devoted to it. And I am not alone.

Reverting to the Founding Fathers has another great advantage: it allows a discussion of power relations. The constitution protected against tyranny by a division of powers. The division of powers recognizes that there are competing interests and different interpretations of reality within society that need to be reconciled by a political process. The constitutional checks and balances preclude the formation of absolute power that could claim to be in possession of the ultimate truth. The Constitution establishes a mechanism whereby different branches of government interact and control each other. But that is not sufficient.

Open society can prevail only when people can speak truth to power. It needs the rule of law that guarantees freedom of speech and press, freedom of association and assembly, and other rights and freedoms. They empower citizens to defend themselves against the abuse of power and to make use of the judicial branch for such defense. That is how the Founding Fathers created an open society.

Let me spell out my conclusion more clearly. Open society is a desirable form of social organization both as a means to an end and as an end in itself. It enables a society to understand the problems confronting it and to deal with them more successfully than other forms of social organizations, PROVIDED it gives precedence to the cognitive function over the manipulative function and the people are willing to confront harsh realities.

In other words, the instrumental value of democracy is conditional on the electorate's commitment to the pursuit of truth, and in that regard the current performance of American democracy does not live up to its past achievements. We cannot rely on the inherent superiority of the American system and need to prove ourselves anew..."