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Is it horribly irrational to simply assume that the philanthropic gestures of the very wealthy are just targeted to achieve their own personal utility maximizat
by petermcneeley 8y ago
Is it horribly irrational to simply assume that the philanthropic gestures of the very wealthy are just targeted to achieve their own personal utility maximization? I think that it is normal to just assume self interest even in the case of philanthropy and this of course limits the type of philanthropy to that which has over-unity personal cost benefit ratio.
- whack 8y agoIf by personal-utility, you're including the satisfaction and happiness that good-hearted people derive from helping others, then I completely agree. Not just for the "very wealthy", but for everyone. Often, people twist this into somehow being a bad thing. "Bill Gates isn't a good guy. He's just donating billions to charity and saving millions of lives because that makes him happy". Problem is, you can twist any good deed into pure selfishness, using this chain of logic. "Your father wasn't a good man. Working hard to take care of his family, gave him great happiness, and that's why he did it".