Andrew Carnegie Essay
Michael Murray
22 May 2014
The Gospel of Wealth: Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie was an extremely successful businessman through the wealth he obtained with the railroad industry, but as a person felt that this fortune was better spent on socially beneficial projects, and his idea became known as “ The Gospel of Wealth." Carnegie's main concern was how the wealth was administered throughout the country, responding with the notion that the rich and poor should bind together and benefit as one. He noted that not only had the conditions of their lives changed, but also had actually revolutionized, creating a vast contrast between the social classes. However, he stated that this change could be beneficial for the human race as a whole. The wealthy businessman believed that wealth should be shared among people and could be most readily shared through families leaving their money to their descendants, spent on public projects, or simply administered during the lives of the wealthy themselves. He felt that the rich had only made their money because of other people, and in the end should reimburse them and the public rather than squandering away their fortune. By using this method, in the end the wealth or property of one would become the wealth of many, and the sharing of this money would better society and perhaps civilization. The central thesis of the essay focused on the dangers of wealthy entrepreneurs simply passing on their fortune to their children, or other persons and organizations that were not qualified to handle it. Instead of wasting money on frivolous expenses and using it inefficiently, Carnegie argued that such money should be put towards the public good. Thus, even as capitalism could indeed hurt some while benefiting others, poverty could in fact be tackled and solved by the very wealthy businessmen that had contributed to the problem. The Gospel of Wealth was not an attack by Andrew Carnegie on the laissez-faire system of
22 May 2014
The Gospel of Wealth: Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie was an extremely successful businessman through the wealth he obtained with the railroad industry, but as a person felt that this fortune was better spent on socially beneficial projects, and his idea became known as “ The Gospel of Wealth." Carnegie's main concern was how the wealth was administered throughout the country, responding with the notion that the rich and poor should bind together and benefit as one. He noted that not only had the conditions of their lives changed, but also had actually revolutionized, creating a vast contrast between the social classes. However, he stated that this change could be beneficial for the human race as a whole. The wealthy businessman believed that wealth should be shared among people and could be most readily shared through families leaving their money to their descendants, spent on public projects, or simply administered during the lives of the wealthy themselves. He felt that the rich had only made their money because of other people, and in the end should reimburse them and the public rather than squandering away their fortune. By using this method, in the end the wealth or property of one would become the wealth of many, and the sharing of this money would better society and perhaps civilization. The central thesis of the essay focused on the dangers of wealthy entrepreneurs simply passing on their fortune to their children, or other persons and organizations that were not qualified to handle it. Instead of wasting money on frivolous expenses and using it inefficiently, Carnegie argued that such money should be put towards the public good. Thus, even as capitalism could indeed hurt some while benefiting others, poverty could in fact be tackled and solved by the very wealthy businessmen that had contributed to the problem. The Gospel of Wealth was not an attack by Andrew Carnegie on the laissez-faire system of