George Soros’ comments come at a time where US politics are embroiled in controversy over the alleged interference of the Russian government in the recent United States Presidential Elections.
“The power to shape people’s attention is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few companies. It takes a real effort to assert and defend what John Stuart Mill called ‘the freedom of mind…There is a possibility that once lost, people who grow up in the digital age will have difficulty in regaining it. This may have far-reaching political consequences. People without the freedom of mind can be easily manipulated.”
This manipulation may end up to be the downfall of US global dominance, George Soros stated.
“Open societies are in crisis, and various forms of dictatorships and mafia states, exemplified by Putin’s Russia, are on the rise. In the US, President Trump would like to establish a mafia state but he can’t because the Constitution, other institutions, and a vibrant civil society won’t allow it….Not only the survival of open society, but the survival of our entire civilisation is at stake. The rise of leaders such as Kim Jong-Un in North Korea and Donald Trump in the US have much to do with this. Both seem willing to risk a nuclear war in order to keep themselves in power.”
This article was republished with permission from Value Walk.