1.) What kind of "research" has Bill Gates carried out about the nature of global poverty? What sources of information did he draw on in preparing his speech for Davos?
Global poverty is often defined in absolute terms of low income nearly half of the world's population-more than 3 billion people- live on less than $2.50 a day, for example. In this article Mr. Gates elaborated on his inpatients with the shortcomings of capitalism, advocating for a revision of what most consider the free will of capitalism. Planning to call for a "creative capitalism" that uses market forces to address the poorer-countries needs that are being ignored. Mr. Gates stated in the article that he has personally seen the shortcomings of capitalism, on trips for Microsoft
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Gates’s idea regarding philanthropy due to the fact that upon setting up his foundation in 2000, he already was aware of the widespread criticism of existing programs to help the less fortunate. Moreover, successful programs, such as the Green Revolution, were overshadowed by growing awareness of their negative side effects on the environment and local cultures. Mr. Gates had growing awareness of such limits sparking new ideas on how businesses could approach poor countries. However, there is little evidence of benefit from the $2.3 trillion given in foreign aid over the past five decades. For example, all the aid given to Africa over the years has failed to stimulate economic growth on the continent. One might argue that there are just as many needy individuals in America, why not try to critically think of way to innovate to embody the struggling Americans, rather than poor countries around the …show more content…
Its just human nature to care for the ones you knows. Moreover, no I do not believe reassessing corporate capitalism will solve poverty. Every business in the realm of capitalism has one main goal- to make a profit. If one adjusts that focus to poverty then is it really corporate capitalism? I believe it will take much more than adjusting capitalism; it may take an adjustment of morals and ethics of humans to solve world
(Singer, 2006) Gates believes that equal value of all human life is particularly prominent. Singer also gives credit to billionaire investor Warren Buffett because he showed to be a compassionate person when he contributed $31 billion to Bill Gates foundation, and another $6 billion to other charitable foundations. Buffett donations went to reduce poverty, disease, and premature death. In July, 2015 Warren Buffett donated a personal philanthropy record of $2.8 billion to five foundation as a part of his annual pledge. (Chew, 2015) Gates and Buffett should be honored for their generosity for giving billions to the developing world to fight global
Capitalism has widely been regarded as one of the most advanced intellectual achievements of the past few centuries. However, a system which is largely credited for alleviating “human misery” is actually perpetuating it (Goldberg, 6). Capitalism inherently fuels inequality leading to poverty among the powerless. Jonah Goldberg in his article, Capitalism Has Lifted Billions Out of Poverty, attributed the economic theory to ending poverty, but failed to recognize that capitalism’s lofty goals are merely fulfilled on paper. Equal opportunity must exist for capitalism to end human misery, however the stratification of society ensures that no individual has equal access to the keys of capitalist success.
The richest of humanity see the most of improvements, and the poorest of humanity see the least of these improvements. Through capitalism the world has changed tremendously in a short amount of time. A host of new technology has been innovated, especially in the last 100 years. Humanity as a whole is much better off than it was before. As an example, most of us are able to take an airplane to travel from one country to another in one day or have fairly easy access to advanced health care. In a word, like Bill Gates said in his article “How to Fix Capitalism”, “Capitalism has improved the lives of billions of people- something that’s easy to forget”(Gates). But, it is not getting better fast enough, and it is not getting better for everyone. A multitude of people live on less than a dollar a day and it can be extremely hard for a person in such a situation to drag themselves out of poverty without help from others. Capitalism has the ability to harness self-interest in a helpful and sustainable way but only on beh...
Many people believe that capitalism has made a positive impact on the world, making it a better place to live in. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, in his article, “Making capitalism more creative” supports this belief. He emphasizes how capitalism has transformed this world and how it would make life better off in the future. Gates also stresses on how governments and different companies can involve new people in the capitalist setup to decrease economic disparity. However, capitalism is not as beneficial as Gates puts it. It has a dark side with respect to economic inequality, government involvement, new markets and social responsibility.
Everyone knows what the word poverty means. It means poor, unable to buy the necessities to survive in today's world. We do not realize how easy it is for a person to fall into poverty: A lost job, a sudden illness, a death in the family or the endless cycle of being born into poverty and not knowing how to overcome it. There are so many children in poverty and a family's structure can effect the outcome. Most of the people who are at the poverty level need some type of help to overcome the obstacles. There are mane issues that deal with poverty and many things that can be done to stop it.
Gates for his commitment to help the people who have been suffering from infectious diseases. Dr. Gates has been known as one of the world’s great philanthropists, who have made extraordinary donations to various charitable organizations and scientific programs around the world. Even it was a commencement speech, Dr. Gates truthfully wanted to share about his thoughts and concerns for the unfortunate victims of infectious diseases. In his speech, he had sincerely informed and persuaded the audiences to take action to solve the alarming issues. Dr. Gates confessed, “As I left Harvard with no real awareness of the awful inequities in the world-the appalling disparities of health, and wealth, and opportunity that condemn millions of people to lives of despair” (Powell,
Singer, Peter; Miller, Richard "“What Duties Do People in Rich Countries Have to Relieve World Poverty”." Debate, Singer-Miller Debate from Center for the Study of Inequality and the Atlantic Foundation, Ithaca, April 4, 2003.
If we donated maximally to everyone suffering in poverty-stricken countries our economic foundation would be destroyed. Our economy is driven by the consumption of buyers. However, if the income of individuals is affected by the standards of charity outlined by Peter Singer, consumers would not be able to uphold their role in supporting economic growth through the purchase of normal and luxury goods. As a result of this, the economy would collapse and individuals would lose their jobs. If the job market declined, no one would be able to fulfill Singer’s ideology of preventing suffering. In fact, we wouldn’t be able to complete the normal societal standards of charity. In addition, our income would not be able to support the continuation of giving due to our creation of overpopulation in other countries. Giving maximumly would prevent priorly inevitable deaths of individuals around the world. Be that as it may, even though this is monumental, when there is greater longevity, the population of a country grows dramatically and a bigger population leads to more impoverished humans. Moreover, economic dependency is also created when an affluent country supports an indigent country. The economy of a poverty- stricken country such as Bengal, in the example given by Singer, will become dependent on donations to prevent famine. If expectations of donations are not met, the individuals and economy of such country
When most people hear about Bill Gates the first thing that comes to mind is the obscene amount of money he has made through out his career. Owning many different foundations, the most common foundation known to most college students is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that provide many different scholarships. However, this foundation also does various things to give back to communities and aiding suffering countries. Within this foundation there are also various branches such as the United States Program, The Global Development Program and the Global health program that have grown over time making the Gates a commonly used household name.
The 2008 documentary The End of Poverty? is a film that focuses around global poverty and how it became the tragedy that it is today. Poverty was created by acts of military conquest, slavery and colonization that led to the confiscation of individual’s property and forced labor. However, today the problem remains because wealthy countries who take advantage of developing third world countries. The film interviews several activists who discuss how the issues became and several ways in which they could be eliminated, as well as interviews from individuals who are experiencing it firsthand.
Bill Gates is now helping people in developing countries get water and an education full time. He created what is called the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “In 2008 he left the company to devote himself full-time to his charity the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”(Harris 1). He has worked his whole life to get the success and money that he has today and instead of keeping it to himself he has given it back to society in many generous ways. He also is helping developing countries with their needs that aren't accessible to them. “They helped vaccinate African and Asian children against diseases like polio and malaria. And they have been very successful in helping get rid of these diseases for good.”(Harris 1). This foundation helped poorer countries get the medical help they need to get rid of illnesses that should have already been gone by now. Bill and his wife had had an impact on the world by doing these things
So here I present you the path that gave us the Bill Gates we have today. Firstly, Bill Gates was fortunate enough to be born in a fine and educated family, where his parents were an educator and a lawyer. He had the privilege to all the essential necessities, such as clothing, food, and water sources which many other kids do not have. More than that, his family was wealthy enough to buy him toys and games and other things which would be far too extravagant to others. These small things created a stronger foundation for Bill Gates’
All in all Mr. Gates is one of many great Americans, who achieved a lot for our world. If Gates continues to support school and charity, and Microsoft develops further equipment, the world will be a saver and richer world. Who knows, maybe we will live in space in the next 100 years thanks to Microsoft and their computer technology. If Gates had not founded Microsoft or did not do what he did, the world would still teach with chalk and would have to read books to get information. As Gates once said, when he was asked, what his greatest fear for the future would be "... there'll be some really bad things that'll happen in the next 50 or 100 years, but hopefully none of them on the scale of, say, a million people that you didn't expect to die from a pandemic, or nuclear or bioterrorism ( News) ."
Philanthropy is powerful because everyone can be affected by the love for mankind, this can change the world for better. Philanthropy is not the practice of self importance and putting yourself above others. Philanthropy and its power of changing the world is about donating to charity your time, belongings, or even sharing kind words or advice in an effort to better others. It is about giving to others less fortunate, and caring about other humans. Whether you know them or not, helping others and caring for the welfare of those less fortunate can change the world. One person can change the life of someone else's by one simple act of charity or kindness. Bill Gates is a wonderful example, due to his material advantages, he can give his belongings to others to help them, rather than keeping all his success to himself. Over his lifetime Mr. Gates donated $27
In conclusion, sometimes actions take place that changes a person’s outlook on life and as you can see poverty is one that can have a huge effect on not only one person, but also the people around him/ her.