4 ms·
Surely both the government and rich people can fund research. One doesn't preclude the other.
by nineplay 2y ago
Surely both the government and rich people can fund research. One doesn't preclude the other.
- smt88 2y agoGovernment's ability to publicly fund research is directly related to how much it can collect in taxes. With wealth being hoarded by individuals at unprecedented rates and taxes lower than they've been at almost any time in the country's history, there has certainly been a shift away from public research toward private research.
- sympil 2y agoThere are no instances in the history of the world where the wealthy, out of the goodness of their hearts, have solved hunger, childhood education, funded research programs at scale, provided safe drinking water, etc. These things are handled by government. Government is far more efficient at this than hoping rich people act in the public’s best interest.
- s1artibartfast 2y agoHowever, there is a plethora of instances where the wealthy have addressed these issues, not out of the goodness of their hearts, but in search of revenue.
- sympil 2y agoRich people didn’t feed the poor. They didn’t provide universal k-12 education. They didn’t fund enough universities to provide higher education for the masses. They didn’t provide clean water. They didn’t get rid of smog or acid rain. They didn’t band together to start space research or build the highway system. But there are a few instances where a rich person spent a trivial amount of their wealth to fund a project or two in the interest of humanity.