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Not disagreeing with you but I believe Thoreau said that about philanthropy. > There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at t
by murat124 7y ago
Not disagreeing with you but I believe Thoreau said that about philanthropy.
> There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root, and it may be that he who bestows the largest amount of time and money on the needy is doing the most by his mode of life to produce that misery which he strives in vain to relieve.
- perfmode 7y agoimho, this strengthens the OP’s use of the quote. successful Tech founders are especially guilty of producing what they strive in vain to relieve.
- ticmasta 7y agoperhaps, but I think Thoreau is talking primarily about the risk of producing a systemic dependency, i.e. the "teach a man to fish" philosophy. He was an ardent believer in self-sufficiency and prioritized individual autonomy over maximizing group benefit. He has a lot of great things to say but you could argue their relevancy and context is often misrepresented.
- Can_Not 7y agoOur current problem is the growth of "make sure all ways a man can fish has to pay rent to me first".