Attempting a brief chronicle of philanthropy throughout days of yore

Attempting a brief chronicle of philanthropy throughout days of yore

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Charity is not a modern-day phenomenon by any means, but has a rich and progressing history that stretches over 2 thousands years.

One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, immediately think of a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for handing out their fortunes to causes that they care about. This is something that has held true for many thousands of years, with the very first documented example of institutionalised philanthropy, as well as the origin of the philanthropy meaning and word, taking place over two thousand years earlier in ancient Greece. Throughout this period, the word indicated something more akin to 'caring of one's fellow person', or humanism, than the constraints of wealth one might apply to the term today, however nevertheless rich individuals played an essential charity role in the culture. Wealthy people were expected to give back to the community, assisting to set up the money for repairs to public works like city walls or temples along with financing festivals and other public events. Being stingy was not looked upon well, and if a rich person was not seen to be a philanthropist, they could be ostracised from the society completely.

Many different entities have actually been accountable for charity work throughout the ages. Although wealthy people and celebrity philanthropists might be seen as the central charitable force in the contemporary world, that is not always entirely correct, nor has it been for much of history. In the middle ages, it was spiritual institutions like the church that would have been the main charitable centers, both within the town and on bigger level projects. That altered with the coming of commercial enterprise when wealthy individuals ended up being more powerful, and after that shifted again towards the end of the nineteenth century when foundations started to emerge that were better organised and could dedicate more attention to getting things done. This is much the same manner in which charity is structured nowadays, whether those foundations are set up by grassroots groups, rich people, or companies like SJP.

The way that charity has been funded has actually altered a lot throughout the course of human history, moving in between different entities which hold the most power and wealth, just as the focus of charity work has changed as various requirements have actually emerged. Nowadays, there are a great many issues that have to be attended to, from rising inequality to the environment crisis, and charity will undoubtedly play an important role in that process. Wealthy people with savings account that would make a middle ages kings blush have their part to play, however so do the firms that are the main centers of financial generation in the twenty-first century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is setting up a foundation of their own or establishing ESG commitments, companies like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are beginning to do so.