A lot of the evil in the world is actually not intentional. A lot of people in the financial system did a lot of damage without intending to.
Interpretation
Many harmful actions occur without intent, especially in complex systems like finance.
This quote by George Soros emphasizes that much of the harm observed in the world arises not from malevolent individuals but from systemic issues where people act without malicious intent. It challenges the perception of good and evil, suggesting that a deeper understanding of human behavior and systemic dynamics is crucial to addressing the consequences of actions that may inadvertently lead to negative outcomes.
In practice
In a discussion about corporate responsibility during a meeting, one might say, 'As George Soros noted, a lot of the evil in the world is actually not intentional.'
The securitisation of mortgages added a new dimension of systemic risk. Financial engineers claimed they were reducing risks through geographic diversification: in fact they were increasing them by creating an agency problem. The agents were more interested in maximising fee income than in protecting the interests of bondholders. That is the verity that was ignored by regulators and market participants alike.
The collapse of the global marketplace would be a traumatic event with unimaginable consequences. Yet I find it easier to imagine than the continuation of the present regime.
Regulating and taxing marijuana would simultaneously save taxpayers billions of dollars in enforcement and incarceration costs, while providing many billions of dollars in revenue annually.
We are the most powerful nation on earth. No external power, no terrorist organization can defeat us. But we can defeat ourselves by getting caught in a quagmire.
My foundations support people in the country who care about an open society. It's their work that I'm supporting. So it's not me doing it. But I can empower them. I can support them, and I can help them.
The criminalization of marijuana did not prevent marijuana from becoming the most widely used illegal substance in the United States and many other countries. But it did result in extensive costs and negative consequences.
I am compelled to fear that science will be used to promote the power of dominant groups rather than to make men happy.
Look at those numbers running. Money makes time. It used to be the other way around. Clock time accelerated the rise of capitalism. People stopped thinking about eternity. They began to concentrate on hours, measurable hours,man-hours, using labor more efficiently.
I believe we shall come to care about people less and less, Helen. The more people one knows, the easier it becomes to replace them. It's one of the curses of London. I quite expect to end my life caring most for a place.
I think women are very complicated human beings, and I think there's an oversimplification of women when you see them on screen.
We have to keep asking ourselves: 'What does it all mean? What is God trying to tell us? How are we called to live in the midst of all this?' Without such questions our lives become numb and flat.
We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers.
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