Philanthropy: From Aristotle to Zuckerberg is a book by British journalist Paul Vallely that offers a fresh and comprehensive look at how major philanthropy has evolved throughout history and how it continues to evolve. Published by Bloomsbury Continuum in 2020, Philanthropy: From Aristotle to Zuckerberg generations of philanthropists and how the influence and passion projects of modern philanthropists are quietly remaking the world we live in.
Read on for a dive into the ideas and insights presented in the book’s 700+ pages.
Definitive and readable
Over the book’s initial chapters, Vallely gives a chronological account of the progress of philanthropy, from ancient Greece and Rome to the barons of Silicon Valley. The next section offers analyses of topics in contemporary philanthropy, including co-branding with celebrity spokespeople, the effects of philanthropy on democratic norms, and the strong part philanthropy plays in international development. After these in-depth summaries, Vallely looks at how we can improve the way philanthropy works.
According to London School of Economics professor emeritus John Gray, this is “the definitive book on philanthropy.” But it’s more than just a treatise. The New Yorker called it “highly readable.”
Vallely draws on five years of research to present us with a comprehensive survey that covers the “ancient Greeks to the modern geeks.” He talks in detail about common areas of discussion in philanthropy while also examining specific issues that include the role of utopian ideals, political goals, and religious faith in motivating and supplying frameworks of charitable giving. He adds in discussions of how philanthropy plays out in terms of both the public and the private sector and its role in our rapidly globalizing world.
“Reciprocal philanthropy” vs. “effective altruism”
One of Vallely’s main contentions is that two distinct types of philanthropy have developed throughout history. First, there’s “reciprocal philanthropy,” which is driven by the heart and creates personal, emotion-rich connections between those who give and those who receive. Reciprocal philanthropy also centers on spreading funds and resources among a broad range of causes.
Second, “effective altruism” involves using market forces to address big problems—climate change and pandemics, to give two especially pressing topics—through a plan of targeted giving on a large scale.
According to Vallely, we find everyone from Aristotle to the chocolate merchant and social welfare champion George Cadbury on the “reciprocal” side of the ledger. Vallely highlights the perspective of Pope Francis as one of the best exemplars of this point of view in our day. The Pope has said that when giving charity to a person who has absolutely nothing in this world, it’s important to make the right gesture, to look the person in the eyes and take hold of their hands in respect of the fact that, soul-to-soul, we are all equals.
Vallely’s representatives of the “effective altruism” camp include steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, the hard-driving entrepreneur of the early 20th century whose name still adorns public libraries and charitable foundations throughout the country. The description also encompasses Bill and Melinda Gates, who have launched globally focused efforts to mitigate disease, extend high-quality health care to vulnerable people, and expand educational opportunities. As previewed in the book’s title, Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan’s charitable foundation—dedicated to leveraging technological know-how to solve problems relating to climate change, medicine, education, and social justice—bookends the examples of philanthropy in the modern age.
In Vallely’s analysis, Zuckerberg’s and the Gateses’ practice of “philanthrocapitalism” differs from reciprocal philanthropy in that is much less about connection, relationship, and love, and more about efficient use of funds as a problem-solving mechanism.
Modernizing an ancient perspective
There’s plenty of good sense in the argument for efficiency: It allows a donor who has made a fortune developing a corporation to easily scale up their philanthropy to do the most good for the greatest number of people. “Philanthrocapitalists,” regardless of anyone’s personal opinion about them, can have a meaningful impact on issues ranging from literacy to COVID research. The flip-side of that argument, though, is that these wealthy donors should simply be paying their fair share of income taxes to allow their fellow citizens and elected representatives to decide how best to spend the money.
Vallely ultimately advocates for reciprocal philanthropy as the neglected path we need to move toward. He presents an intriguing case for heart-driven acts of individual charity that branch out in as many directions as a donor’s interests. He posits that this type of giving provides the best complement to state-managed solutions to larger economic, scientific, and social problems.
While acknowledging the usefulness of efforts like those of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, he offers cogent criticism of the current emphasis on super-wealthy, well-known donors. In this light, he attempts to move readers to reconsider the value he sees in a community-based approach.
Vallely intersperses interviews with contemporary philanthropists throughout his text. One of the best quotes, from banker and human rights champion John Studzinski, says that the core meaning of all philanthropy is “human dignity.” And that’s the meaning that Vallely has woven into the book itself.
Ari Betof 