In What Ways Does Carnegie Believe That Some People Want Things For Free?

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In what ways does Carnegie believe that some people want things “for free” from the rich? Andrew Carnegie was an American industrialist, philanthropist, and business magnate who is best known for his innovative role in the steel industry during the late 19th century. Later in his life he was known for his philanthropy and philosophy about the moral obligation for the rich to use their wealth to benefit society. In his essay The Gospel Of Wealth, Carnegie speaks about the distribution of surplus wealth from the rich to society. Carnegie argued that it was not about giving things "for free" to the masses, but rather using wealth to create institutions and initiatives that would have a lasting and positive impact on society. Andrew Carnegie’s concept of the …show more content…

Another quick example is scholarships, many scholarships are in the name of wealthy persons, as their trusts give students who cannot pay the means for higher education. Carnegie’s argument for the rich to give away their surplus by their own intent and better the community through their own foundations and means is the most efficient way to better society. The rich are trustees of the poor and must use their surplus for the goal of growing the less fortunate skill sets and knowledge. While Andrew Carnegie’s essay has many great arguments for the distribution of surplus wealth by the rich, there are also counterarguments to his philanthropic work. While leaving distribution up to the wealthy works in theory, many would argue that the wealthy won’t always follow Carnegie philanthropy and will instead hoard it for themselves. Others may argue that giving the government the right to distribute this wealth will lead to greater societal development and addressing social issues. These are valid processes of thought and have merit, however, Carnegie’s method has a greater success rate in defeating “free money”. It is true, there are

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