Monday, December 12, 2011

LAD #21: Andrew Carnegie - The Gospel of Wealth



      Carnegie begins by stating his realization that there is a large gap between the classes. The rich and the poor are both at the extreme ends of each other. He does not believe that being prosperous is a bad thing but that the wealthy should use their wealth in a positive way to help out their fellow man. Though, he still strongly believes in the value of hard work. He denotes that just giving people money is a disservice to them, learning how to work for their own living is a great opportunity and something that everyone should pursue. He does not want the wealthy to hoard their wealth but just administer small amounts of it to the people that need it, enough to get them on their feet but not decide their future. What is also surprising about Carnegie, a wealthy man himself, is that he was for taxing the wealthy because it allows them to pay a small amount of their money which can be put towards the society. Also, Carnegie himself followed his own beliefs by giving back in numerous ways to his community. He helped build libraries and Carnegie Hall. Some of his other beliefs were that the wealthy should not try to show too much extravagance but instead be modest and put their community’s needs before their own. Carnegie also believed that a person should leave more money to his community than to his decedents. Andrew Carnegie had many interesting views on how the wealthy should use their wealth to the fullest and his beliefs would not be expected from a wealthy man.

No comments:

Post a Comment