People who make themselves wealthy sometimes make others better off as well, and it's possible to view the Mellon, Rockefeller, and Stanford types much more positively than I suggested in lecture. With Andrew Carnegie especially, it's easy to view him more positively than I do. Please read through Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth. How does reading this affect your general impression of Carnegie? Does it make you more sympathetic or not?
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Carnegie--The Gospel of Wealth
People who make themselves wealthy sometimes make others better off as well, and it's possible to view the Mellon, Rockefeller, and Stanford types much more positively than I suggested in lecture. With Andrew Carnegie especially, it's easy to view him more positively than I do. Please read through Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth. How does reading this affect your general impression of Carnegie? Does it make you more sympathetic or not?
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Carnegie was a wheeler and dealer. He chose to make his money anyway he thought was best. He then choose to find a way to make amends for what transgressions others may have seen. I some respects he is correct. The poor public could never afford to have major works of art or a variety of books. Thus, with his money he could buy the artwork he liked and display it for all to see. Thus giving those less fortunate the ability to learn and admire what they couldn't possess. By sponsoring libraries, he provided books to those who could never afford to purchase a book whenever they were done with one. So by creating a borrowing system, you are educating and inhancing the lives of those less fortunate. But, he could have done a bit better with his labor force and raised their standards of living. Creating a comfortable existence for those whom he employed. And, he still could have done what he considered a worth wild cause to the populace.
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