Giving Thought

In episode 56 we take a deep dive into the issue of "tainted donations". Is some money "bad", and if so can it ever be turned to good uses through philanthropy? Including: Recent versions of the tainted donation issue: Epstein & MIT Media Lab, the Sacklers, The Presidents Club The history of tainted donations: mediaeval prostitutes, Rockefeller & Carnegie in the firing line, George Cadbury, George Bernard Shaw, William Booth What do we mean by tainted? In cases where there is no clear illegality, how do we navigate much more contested ethical grey areas? Do we need to differentiate between criticisms of specific ways in which has been made (e.g. fossil fuels, arms manufacture, tobacco) and broader structural critiques of capitalism as a whole? Do the ethical concerns associated with a particular source of money relate directly to the way in which the money was made, or are they indirect? Does this affect the moral status of a donation? In a highly interconnected world, with global financial systems,