On Philanthropy

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

It seems that the drive for and exercise of philanthropy remains constant across ages, but gets anchored in the worldview of the time and is driven by different motives:

Greeks, giving to the community yes but also to showcase their wealth etc.
monotheistic religions see it as giving back but also as a duty towards God
Enlightenment and other views see it as an act of justice which complements the coercive taxation rules, also some duty in there
and nowadays, it has been dressed in the cloak of science with effective altruism

So it seems that philanthropy is something people do, and justify it according to their particular view of life. Given that, we can highlight this aspect, and use it as an opportunity to include some questions to consider when thinking about philanthropy:

notes.decafquest

On Philanthropy