Man who would be a philosopher king

WASHINGTON -- For most people, being known as a fabulously wealthy investor, prominent global philanthropist and outspoken critic of the current occupant of the White House would constitute sufficient acclaim.

But George Soros, now in his eighth decade and enjoying a personal fortune estimated at $9 billion, yearns to be seen as something other than a financial oracle or Democratic Party sugar daddy. The Hungarian emigre, who built a worldwide reputation by out-thinking markets, desperately wants to be acknowledged as a philosopher.

His bid for such recognition -- in a new book published last week -- lies in a theory called "reflexivity," which Soros argues should supplant conventional economic thought that's based on coolly calculating rational actors. Soros, 77, who first read philosophy as a teenager during World War II, has promoted the concept for more than 20 years with little success.

But hailing reflexivity as his "life's work," Soros now ...