The Gospel of Wealth

Philanthropy and the Contribution of Andrew Carnegie to Corporate Social Responsibility

“…As a consequence, a multiplication of approaches to CSR has occurred [2][3][4][5][6], and the world of science experiences both a strong support for the paradigm introduced by Carnegie and its primal contribution to corporate social responsibility [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15], as well as critical opinions of it [16,17]. In 1889, Carnegie proposed philanthropy principles [18], the backbone of which were charity and trust (in last decade of the nineteenth century, human relations management problems and environmental protections issues were not the subject of organizational consideration). The first of them was the same as the biblical principle of mercy [19] and, therefore, in the absence of any formalized social welfare system, it was tantamount to entrepreneurs taking over part of the responsibility for improving the living conditions of society.…”

“…The principle of trust alluded to the biblical doctrine of wealthy individuals who were expected to manage their wealth on behalf of other people and therefore to dispose of their assets in a socially acceptable manner. If the entrepreneur did not perform these duties in person, this was to be done by talented people; nevertheless, the author did not formulate any criteria of talent [18,20] (p. 3). Carnegie was also a strong opponent of traditional "blind" charity, which he considered one of the most serious obstacles to human development [18] (p. 13).…”

“…If the entrepreneur did not perform these duties in person, this was to be done by talented people; nevertheless, the author did not formulate any criteria of talent [18,20] (p. 3). Carnegie was also a strong opponent of traditional "blind" charity, which he considered one of the most serious obstacles to human development [18] (p. 13). He argued that help was to be offered to others only by facilitating access to information and to the acquisition of knowledge [18] (p. 24) and by strengthening peace and human bonds [18] (p. 11).…”

“…Carnegie was also a strong opponent of traditional "blind" charity, which he considered one of the most serious obstacles to human development [18] (p. 13). He argued that help was to be offered to others only by facilitating access to information and to the acquisition of knowledge [18] (p. 24) and by strengthening peace and human bonds [18] (p. 11). People deserving help-with few exceptions-very rarely need help.…”

“…People deserving help-with few exceptions-very rarely need help. Really worthy people never need any support [18] (p. 13). A true reformer, then, is one who is careful not to support those who do not deserve it, while at the same time trying to ensure that those that do deserve it receive appropriate help [18] (p. 14).…”