A brief chronicle of philanthropy throughout two thousand years

A brief chronicle of philanthropy throughout two thousand years

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As civilisation has established across the world, so has the way that people and organisations help those in need.

The majority of us will acknowledge and appreciate the role that famous philanthropists play in assisting the world in this day and age, handing down their hard-earned fortunes to help those who require it most. For a great deal of the wealthiest individuals and organisations nowadays, charity is an opportunity to put their profits towards a good cause. This is not simply something limited to the twenty-first century either, it has actually been the case for countless years. Charity and altruism were deemed a central part of a good life and a healthy society, with the Ancient Greeks thinking philanthropy to be necessary to functioning democracy. It was here that the word itself stemmed, indicating 'man-loving' in its original shape. It was seen as an obligation of the rich to share their wealth for the wellbeing of the society, with rich people assisting with public causes like the maintenance of temples and city walls or financing public festivals. We may not call it a responsibility as such right now, however those who do not engage with charity in any form will definitely see their reputations suffer.

As one might anticipate of anything over the course of 2 thousand years, philanthropy meaning has progressed throughout the ages, and so has its focus. Following the middle ages, the main source of humanitarian duty moved from religious organizations like the church to wealthy people. Simultaneously, the focus of philanthropy moved towards the towns and cities rather from the impoverished countryside. Throughout the following centuries, business owners accepted a sense of obligation towards those in need, especially during and after durations of war and upheaval which left lots of families having a hard time. Towards the end of the 19th century we began to see the establishment of philanthropic businesses like foundations to assist deal with big concerns, much like the one developed by SJP today.

Throughout the most tough minutes in human history, charity has constantly been there to lend an assisting hand to those in dire requirement. This was particularly real throughout the twentieth century, when private philanthropy continued to support soldiers throughout the World Wars and their households who were left behind. During the 2nd World War in particular, foundations started to work together and became more specialist. This is similar structure as charity work takes today, with a network of business and people working together to finance and enact tasks, although the range and scope of philanthropic projects is far more ambitious. Some foundations are handling big international issues through their work, and corporate philanthropy is now the standard of modern-day organization practices with companies like Vanguard Group and Morgan Stanley contributing to the process.