'This is the definitive book on philanthropy - its history,
contradictions and future' - John Gray, Emeritus Professor of
European Thought, London School of Economics 'Good books lay out
the lie of the land. Important books change it. This book is both'
- Giles Fraser, priest, journalist and broadcaster The super-rich
are silently and secretly shaping our world. In this groundbreaking
exploration of historical and contemporary philanthropy,
bestselling author Paul Vallely reveals how this far-reaching
change came about. Vivid with anecdote and scholarly insight, this
magisterial survey - from the ancient Greeks to today's high-tech
geeks - provides an original take on the history of philanthropy.
It shows how giving has, variously, been a matter of honour,
altruism, religious injunction, political control, moral activism,
enlightened self-interest, public good, personal fulfilment and
plutocratic manipulation. Its narrative moves from the Greek man of
honour and Roman patron, via the Jewish prophet and Christian
scholastic - through the Elizabethan machiavel, Puritan
proto-capitalist, Enlightenment activist and Victorian moralist -
to the robber-baron philanthropist, the welfare socialist, the
celebrity activist and today's wealthy mega-giver. In the process
it discovers that philanthropy lost an essential element as it
entered the modern era. The book then embarks on a journey to
determine where today's philanthropists come closest to recovering
that missing dimension. Philanthropy explores the successes and
failures of philanthrocapitalism, examines its claims and
contradictions, and asks tough questions of top philanthropists and
leading thinkers - among them Richard Branson, Eliza
Manningham-Buller, Jonathan Ruffer, David Sainsbury, John
Studzinski, Bob Geldof, Naser Haghamed, Lenny Henry, Jonathan
Sacks, Rowan Williams, Ngaire Woods, and the presidents of the
Rockefeller and Soros foundations, Rajiv Shah and Patrick Gaspard.
In extended conversations they explore the relationship between
philanthropy and family, faith, society, art, politics, and the
creation and distribution of wealth. Highly engaging and
meticulously researched, Paul Vallely's authoritative account of
philanthropy then and now critiques the excessive utilitarianism of
much modern philanthrocapitalism and points to how philanthropy can
rediscover its soul.
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