Private virtues, public vices : philanthropy and democratic equity /

Private virtues, public vices : philanthropy and democratic equity /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Saunders-Hastings, Emma, author.
Imprint:	Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2022. ©2022
Description:	252 pages ; 23 cm
Language:	English
Subject:	Charity organization -- Political aspects. Humanitarianism -- Political aspects. Democracy -- Social aspects. Charity organization -- Political aspects. Democracy -- Social aspects. Humanitarianism -- Political aspects.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/12722803

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ISBN:	9780226816142 0226816141 9780226816159 022681615X 9780226816135
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:	"Philanthropy plays a huge role in supporting many public goods in contemporary American and European societies. Thus, the decision about what activities receive support and are therefore financially viable depends the personal preferences of the wealthy. In Private Virtues, Public Vices: Philanthropy and Democratic Equality, political theorist Emma Saunders-Hastings argues that philanthropy is a deeply political activity that should be judged not only by the morality of the causes being supported, but also by the fact that the choices of the very rich essentially dictate decisions for the rest of us, foreclosing some possibilities and directing us down paths we might not otherwise choose. What Saunders-Hastings asks is that we look at the impact on democracy of the kind of power wielded by philanthropy and how it enables the wealthy to exercise greater power in our society and deepen its political inequalities"--

Description
Summary:	A thought-provoking challenge to our ideas about philanthropy, marking it as a deeply political activity that allows the wealthy to dictate more than we think.<br> <br> <br> <br> Philanthropy plays a huge role in supporting the provision of many public goods in contemporary societies. As a result, decisions that affect public outcomes and people's diverse interests are often dependent on the preferences and judgments of the rich. Political theorist Emma Saunders-Hastings argues that philanthropy is a deeply political activity. She asks readers to look at how the power wielded by philanthropy impacts democracy and deepens political inequality by enabling the wealthy to exercise outsize influence in public life and by putting in place paternalistic relationships between donors and their intended beneficiaries. If philanthropy is to be made compatible with a democratic society of equals, it must be judged not simply on the benefits it brings but on its wider political consequences. Timely and thought-provoking, Private Virtues, Public Vices will challenge readers' thoughts on what philanthropy is and how it truly affects us.<br> <br>
Physical Description:	252 pages ; 23 cm
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:	9780226816142 0226816141 9780226816159 022681615X 9780226816135