Charitable endeavour has been a crucial part of combatting inequalities for millennia, and still provides fortunate people the opportunity to make the world a better place.
Throughout the twentieth century, personal philanthropy continued to support society in times of dire challenges, supporting troops throughout the World Wars and their families who were left behind. Throughout the Second World War in particular, different foundations began to interact and became more professional, and the civil rights movements of the following decades birthed community-led philanthropy that supported minority causes. This is similar form that humanitarian endeavour takes today, although the range and scope of philanthropic endeavour has actually exploded. Individuals like George Kaiser and Marcel Arsenault are dealing with big international problems through their charity, and corporate philanthropy is now the standard of contemporary company practices thanks to the increase of ESG.
Naturally, philanthropy meaning has evolved since the societies of the ancient world, and so has the focus of charitable individuals. Following the middle ages, the primary source of philanthropic responsibility moved from religious institutions to wealthy people, and with the collapse of rural feudalism, the focus of philanthropy moved towards the towns and cities rather than the impoverished countryside. Throughout the following centuries, humanitarian values developed to the point that business owners took on a fantastic public duty towards those in need, especially throughout and after the many periods of war and turmoil which left lots of children orphaned and partners widowed. Towards the end of the 19th the way that charity was done started to take the shape that it does today, with philanthropic businesses like foundations having a big influence on the global state of culture, science, education, and public health.
Today, famous philanthropists play a vital role in making the world a better place, handing down their hard-earned fortunes to assist those who require it most. For much of the most affluent today, the capability to take part in humanitarian endeavour is the real symptom of success, offering them the opportunity to making a meaningful impact in areas close to their hearts. However, the idea of charity is by no means a contemporary phenomenon and individuals like Bruno Wang are not the very first wealthy people to give back. We may frequently ignore this fact, however human history has been a history of kindness and charity. In all of the ancient civilisations and faiths, charity and altruism were deemed a central part of a good life and a healthy society, with the Ancient Greeks believing philanthropy to be necessary to democracy. It was here that the word itself came from, born from the Promethean myth and meaning 'man-loving'. It was viewed as a responsibility of the wealthy to share their wealth for the wellbeing of the community, and if rich citizens stopped working to assist with public causes like the upkeep of temples and city walls or moneying public festivals, they were at serious danger of being ostracised from the entire society.