> why as a society should we be subject to the whims of individual philanthropists Well, what do the alternatives look like? It's not like powerful politicians

> why as a society should we be subject to the whims of individual philanthropists Well, what do the alternatives look like? It's not like powerful politicians aren't self-aggrandizing; I'm sure many of them would like to effect structural change, but the structural change they want is probably pretty suspect. Nor is it the case that "political majorities", writ large, have an untarnished reputation for gentleness and decency.