Precisely what philanthropic activities have resembled across time

Precisely what philanthropic activities have resembled across time

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Charity is not a contemporary phenomenon by any means, but has a rich and evolving history that extends 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 distributing their fortunes to causes that they appreciate. This is something that has been the case for lots of thousands of years, with the first recorded example of institutionalised philanthropy, in addition to the source of the philanthropy meaning and word, occurring over 2 thousand years back in ancient Greece. During this duration, the word implied something more akin to 'caring of one's fellow human being', or humanism, than the restrictions of wealth one may apply to the term now, but nonetheless rich individuals played a crucial charity role in the culture. Rich people were expected to give back to the society, assisting to put up the cash for repair work to public works like city walls or temples along with financing celebrations and other public events. Being stingy was not regarded well, and if a wealthy person was not seen to be a benefactor, they could be ostracised from the community completely.

Various entities have been accountable for charity work throughout the ages. Although wealthy individuals and celebrity philanthropists might be seen as the main charitable force in the contemporary world, that is not necessarily totally correct, nor has it been for much of history. In the middle ages, it was spiritual organizations like the church that would have been the main charitable centers, both within the community and on larger level ventures. That changed with the coming of commercial enterprise when wealthy people ended up being more powerful, and then moved again towards the end of the 19th century when foundations began to spring up that were much better organised and could commit more attention to getting things done. This is much the same way that charity is structured today, whether those foundations are created by grassroots groups, wealthy people, or businesses like SJP.

The way that charity has actually been funded has actually changed a lot throughout the course of human history, moving between various entities which hold the most power and wealth, just as the focus of charity work has actually changed as various needs have actually emerged. These days, there are a great many concerns that have to be resolved, from rising inequality to the climate crisis, and charity will undoubtedly play an important part in that process. Rich individuals with savings account that would make a medieval kings blush have their part to play, however so do the businesses that are the main hubs of monetary generation in the twenty-first century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is establishing a foundation of their own or establishing ESG dedications, businesses like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are beginning to do so.