Attempting a brief chronicle of philanthropy throughout days of yore

Attempting a brief chronicle of philanthropy throughout days of yore

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Charity is not a modern-day phenomenon by any means, but has a rich and progressing history that stretches over 2 thousands years.

One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, quickly think of a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for handing out their fortunes to causes that they appreciate. This is something that has held true for lots of thousands of years, with the first documented example of institutionalised philanthropy, along with the origin of the philanthropy meaning and word, occurring over two thousand years ago in ancient Greece. During this duration, the word suggested something more akin to 'loving of one's fellow human', or humanism, than the restrictions of wealth one might apply to the term now, however nevertheless wealthy people played a crucial charity role in the culture. Wealthy people were expected to give back to the society, assisting to install the cash for repairs to public works like city walls or temples in addition to funding celebrations and other public celebrations. Being stingy was not regarded well, and if a rich individual was not seen to be a philanthropist, they could be ostracised from the community entirely.

Various entities have actually been responsible for charity work throughout the ages. Although wealthy individuals and celebrity philanthropists may be seen as the central charitable force in the contemporary world, that is not always totally accurate, nor has it been for much of history. In the middle ages, it was religious institutions like the church that would have been the main charitable hubs, both within the town and on bigger level undertakings. That altered with the coming of commercial enterprise when wealthy individuals became more powerful, and then shifted again towards the end of the 19th century when foundations began to emerge that were much better set up and could dedicate more attention to getting things done. This is much the same manner in which charity is structured nowadays, whether those foundations are built by grassroots groups, rich individuals, or companies like SJP.

The way that charity has been funded has changed a great deal throughout the course of human history, moving between different entities which hold the most power and wealth, just as the focus of charity work has changed as different needs have emerged. Today, there are a great many issues that have to be dealt with, from increasing inequality to the climate crisis, and charity will inevitably play an important role in that process. Wealthy individuals with bank accounts that would make a medieval kings blush have their part to play, but so do the companies that are the central hubs of monetary generation in the 21st century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is establishing a foundation of their own or developing ESG dedications, businesses like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are beginning to do so.