A Literary Approach to the Philosophy of Philanthropy

Abstract

This capstone is a philosophical and literary exploration of the motivations behind philanthropy in the context of Robert Goodin's philosophy on the matter. It is not intended as an empirical rejection of the institution; I do not dispute the evidence that philanthropic people and organizations have done and continue to do good for those in need. Instead, I argue that while philanthropy is sound in theory, the actual implementation of the institution is flawed on a number of points. [From introductory section]