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I like this take from Carlos Slim on charity: https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-WHB-3852 https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-WHB-3852 Basically, the best way to do c

by haolez 4y ago

I like this take from Carlos Slim on charity: https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-WHB-3852 https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-WHB-3852 Basically, the best way to do charity is to first accumulate a lot of wealth. Only then will you be able to move the important pointers. Obviously controversial, but still refreshing to see a different take.

SamBam 4y ago
But then you get folks like Sam Bankman-Fried, who long claimed exactly this as his motivation for his crypto business. The question is, is it likely, or even possible, to be motivated to make lots and lots of money, and then have that process of earning lots and lots of money not affect you? Is everyone who chases a seven-figure-income destined to eventually become an asshole?
- olalonde 4y ago
  It's common fo criminals to use charity to ease their conscience, that's all there is to it.
- tptacek 4y ago
  The problem with the EA/Longtermist formulation of this idea is that it encourages people to take destructive jobs to minmax the potential dollars they will be able to donate in the future. The underlying idea is sound: the most efficient way for a software developer to donate hours to charity is in fact to use those hours to generate revenue, and send the money to charity. You've already got the job you've got; a supposedly altruistic motivate isn't corrupting your choices the way it does for people like SBF.
- arolihas 4y ago
  It's possible if you're way of making lots of money doesn't involve scamming or exploiting people.
  - badrequest 4y ago
    There is no way of amassing a huge amount of money in Capitalism without exploiting people brutally or at the very least vowing to do so.
    - jamilton 4y ago
      Sure you can, for sufficiently small amounts of "huge". Lots of tech jobs make much more money than most other jobs without directly exploiting anyone. You could take issue with working for companies that are themselves unethical, but I think as long as you're not working for a particularly unethical company like Meta or a defense contractor, you're doing okay.
n4r9 4y ago
For context, Carlos Slim amassed his fortune by building monopolies in Mexico whilst its GDP and average income fared poorly. The country's landline suffered from high usage fees as a consequence. Very dubious whether he is a net positive for the world. See Wikipedia and associated links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Slim#Reactions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Slim#Reactions

by haolez 4y ago

SamBam 4y ago

But then you get folks like Sam Bankman-Fried, who long claimed exactly this as his motivation for his crypto business. The question is, is it likely, or even possible, to be motivated to make lots and lots of money, and then have that process of earning lots and lots of money not affect you? Is everyone who chases a seven-figure-income destined to eventually become an asshole?

olalonde 4y ago
It's common fo criminals to use charity to ease their conscience, that's all there is to it.
tptacek 4y ago
The problem with the EA/Longtermist formulation of this idea is that it encourages people to take destructive jobs to minmax the potential dollars they will be able to donate in the future. The underlying idea is sound: the most efficient way for a software developer to donate hours to charity is in fact to use those hours to generate revenue, and send the money to charity. You've already got the job you've got; a supposedly altruistic motivate isn't corrupting your choices the way it does for people like SBF.
arolihas 4y ago
It's possible if you're way of making lots of money doesn't involve scamming or exploiting people.
- badrequest 4y ago
  There is no way of amassing a huge amount of money in Capitalism without exploiting people brutally or at the very least vowing to do so.
  - jamilton 4y ago
    Sure you can, for sufficiently small amounts of "huge". Lots of tech jobs make much more money than most other jobs without directly exploiting anyone. You could take issue with working for companies that are themselves unethical, but I think as long as you're not working for a particularly unethical company like Meta or a defense contractor, you're doing okay.

n4r9 4y ago

For context, Carlos Slim amassed his fortune by building monopolies in Mexico whilst its GDP and average income fared poorly. The country's landline suffered from high usage fees as a consequence. Very dubious whether he is a net positive for the world. See Wikipedia and associated links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Slim#Reactions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Slim#Reactions