Episode 61 - "Owning Change"

In an age of global disparity and inequity, billionaire philanthropists (dead and alive) are stepping up to the plate with powerful foundations and acts of charitable giving to solve some of the world's greatest challenges. But how much faith should we place in the hands of individuals with concentrated wealth and power? And if we take a step back to examine the broader system in which these individual philanthrocapitalists function, do we find any contradictions between wealth doled out and the process of accumulating it? Further, despite some of the good that we perceive directly stemming from philanthropic efforts, what are some of the hidden motivations behind these efforts that ultimately seek to deepen the same structures that produced the problems in the first place which philanthropy purports to solve?

Chapters

• 04:44 The Man Who Wrote the Gospel
• 40:44 Philanthropy and Celebrity
• 48:11 The Larger System
• 54:12 Just How Rich?
• 1:03:04 "How philanthropy shapes foreign policy, civil rights, and healthcare"
• 1:20:20 Taxes and Giving
• 1:30:36 What Can We Do?

A full transcript is available as well as detailed links and sources (plus credits and more) on our website ashesashes.org.

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