[p2p-research] Defining Altruism ? Normative vs Autonomous ? Liberal Vs Conservative ?

[Kevin Carson]

On 7/20/10, Ryan Lanham <rlanham1963 at gmail.com> wrote:
> How would people explain the altruism of a Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, etc.
> Guilt?
>
> Bill Gates has done far more for humanity than everyone on this list
> combined.  Yet, I suspect many here would hold him in contempt.

My usual reaction to stories of plutocratic philanthropy is that,
instead of giving back part of what they extracted from society, they
just shouldn't steal in the first place.  I don't think it's possible
to become a billionaire by honest means, without some sort of rent
extraction with the help of the government.  Just about every penny of
Gates' fortune comes from the "intellectual property" rents he's
extracted with the help of the state.

-- 
Kevin Carson
Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org
Mutualist Blog:  Free Market Anti-Capitalism
http://mutualist.blogspot.com
The Homebrew Industrial Revolution:  A Low-Overhead Manifesto
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Organization Theory:  A Libertarian Perspective
http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html